Initial impressions of the Deal of the Century

I am still going through the 181 page document called "Peace to Prosperity: A Vision to Improve the
Lives of the Palestinian and Israeli People."  Here are my initial thoughts.

The plan definitely takes into consideration Israeli security needs and red lines.

It is quite detailed, meaning that it won't be read by the Israel-haters who have decided already that it is an insult to Palestinians.

It isn't. It takes Palestinian needs very seriously and gives them everything possible without compromising Israeli security and yet there is a path to a state for them.

The only path to a state that is possible in the foreseeable future.

The settlements will be stuck in a sea of Palestinian Arab areas, which means that they will be sitting ducks for ambushes and the like. But there are lots of bridges and tunnels to try, as much as possible, to allow territorial contiguity among the very intertwined areas.

The border in Jerusalem is the separation barrier. Palestinians can create a capital city in their side of the barrier, and the US could one day open an embassy there.

The option of the "triangle" communities in Israel to become part of Palestine is there, if people want. (They won't.)

Jerusalem Arabs east of the security barrier will have the option to become Israeli citizens if they way.

Jews and Christians would be allowed to worship on the Temple Mount although the Jordanian Waqf would continue to be the official rulers. In other words, the status quo of today will remain with some changes, not the one from 1967.

The Palestinians are expected to mature their counter-terrorism operations, it is unclear how that can be enforced. And demilitarizing Gaza is essentially impossible.

There's lots of detail on proposed joint tourist zones, industrial zones, including some shared with Jordan and Egypt. As the map shows, parts of the Negev at the Egyptian border would become part of Palestine.

Israel would maintain all control of crossings and is even still allowed into Palestinian territory to destroy terrorist infrastructure if necessary. Again, needed from Israel's perspective; a non-starter for Palestinians.

The economic plan for the Palestinians looks very well thought out and impressive. It includes improving the governance, women's participation in the workforce, internal medical capabilities, universities, reduce corruption, imports/exports, and helping the private sector. Any Palestinian who objects to this part of the plan - far more than half the document - is insane. These are all things that need to happen anyway, and it addresses the major problems with the current Palestinian government and environment. It is largely what we saw in the Bahrain economic conference last year, from what I can tell.

It is not a trivial plan; a lot of work went into it. If Palestinians were smart they would try to at least get the economic and governance help it mentions - but they won't.

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