Special to WorldTribune.com
The Trump administration’s Middle East peace plan calls for large-scale resettlement of Palestinian Arabs in Jordan, the ceding of Jordanian territory to Israel, and the formation of a confederation between Jordan, the Palestinian Authority and Israel’s Civil Administration to administer Judea and Samaria, according to a report for Beirut-based newspaper.
The so-called “Deal of the Century” would include a broad regional agreement with a number of Arab states taking an active role, Al-Akhbar reported on April 6, citing Jordanian and Egyptian sources.
Under the deal, Jordan would be asked to permanently settle one million Palestinian Arabs currently listed as refugees, the report said. Jordan would first naturalize 300,000 Palestinian Arabs, including those already living in Jordan, which the report said number no more than 200,000.
In exchange its cooperation, Jordan would be compensated to the tune of roughly $45 billion dollars in foreign grants and funding for various projects, the report said.
Lebanon will be urged to grant citizenship to all 450,000 Palestinian Arabs currently living in the country. The Lebanese government has restricted Palestinians’ rights since their entry in 1948.
Egypt would also play a major role in the peace deal, the report said, citing Egyptian sources who said American officials have floated the idea of opening up large swathes of the Sinai Peninsula near the Gaza Strip for the establishment of industrial zones for Gaza’s population.
Read More . . . . Current Edition . . . . Subscription Information