US Ambassador to Israel David Friedman referred to the Century Plan • "Israel May Apply the Steps in accordance with the Map" • And also: Will a Democratic Palestinian Entity Be Established?
Ambassador Friedman (right) and Prime Minister Netanyahu // Photo: AFP
US Ambassador to Israel David Friedman said Wednesday that Israel may apply its sovereignty to the territories it deems appropriate, "but only if they match the map published in President Trump's peace plan."
In a telephone briefing to hundreds of journalists from around the world, the ambassador said that "Israel has made a huge step forward for peace when, for the first time, Israel agreed to territorial conditions presented by the government, and officially agreed to a Palestinian state to live alongside it.
Netanyahu's plan for the century: "We made history" // Photo: From Netanyahu's Twitter account
"The most important page is the map showing what Israel is prepared to give up for peace. The US position is that Israel will move forward in the way it looks. The agreement with the prime minister is that in exchange for an Israeli agreement to freeze the area designated for the Palestinian state and accept the plan itself, a committee will be set up to work with the administration. This is a process that requires coordination because one must see that the indices (of Israel for annexation) match the map.
"So that the Israeli government will do what it does, the committee will discuss it, and we will consider it as part of the agreement and we will make a decision. I do not know how long it will take. But it is something that will be discussed quickly," Friedman added.
The ambassador also went against the definition of "annexation" and said that "this concept is not justified. The process is the application of Israeli law."
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Centennial Plan: A government meeting in which sovereignty will be applied is scheduled for next Tuesday
He expressed hope that despite their famous refusal, the Palestinians would agree to the plan. "They should sit down with Israel and discuss it. The president gave them a proposal to a Palestinian state with clear borders and got the Israelis to agree that the proposal would remain open for four years. These are unprecedented things."
Photo: IP
Friedman also noted that Trump insisted that the Palestinian state be democratic. "The Palestinians have argued that they should not be more democratic than other Arab governments. The president rejects this approach. He demanded democracy, freedom of speech, freedom of the press and so on," said Friedman.