Arutz Sheva spoke with outgoing White House Mideast Envoy Jason Greenblatt, who discussed the US peace plan and summed up his work.
What can you tell us at this stage about the peace plan, when will it be released?
There isn’t much that our team will reveal about our vision for peace until it’s officially released – which we have always said will be when the time is right. Most people who understand the complexity of the conflict know that only a realistic solution has a chance at ending it. It’s our hope that our vision can advance the cause of peace and bring people together to start a productive, realistic discussion – even if it’s not embraced immediately. But it’s important to remember that nobody can force this vision upon anyone. When the plan is released, it will be up to both sides to decide how to proceed. When the vision is released, we hope that both parties will read it carefully and not make any hasty decisions. We fully expect criticism from all sides. No one can put forth a plan that everyone will embrace. But we believe our plan is a realistic and implementable plan, one which can significantly improve the lives of millions of people.
What is your message to Israelis who fear that the plan will include demands for Israeli land concessions, especially after seeing a map presented during the elections by the Yamina candidates?
I don't know where Yamina got that map. I had never seen that map. I think they may have acknowledged that they developed the map themselves based on how they understood the various messages being sent about the plan. As I said in my July 23 remarks to the UN Security Council, many participants in this conflict’s conversation continue to re-litigate the events of 1967, when Israel heroically acted to defend itself against a threat of its very existence. Both Israel and the Palestinians have asserted a claim to certain land. The dispute over the territory is a question that can only be resolved in the context of direct negotiations between the parties, not by throwing around the traditional phrases about this conflict that has led to nothing. Those who have weaponized the term “occupation” in order to criticize Israel are doing nothing to promote a resolution to this conflict. In fact, they are heavily undermining the chances for peace and the improvement of the lives of Palestinians and Israelis. I prefer the term "neighborhoods and cities" to describe what others call "settlements". Use of the term "settlements" is purely political and ignores the reality of what they actually are. READ MORE
