The so-called “Trump Plan” proposes for Israel to annex large, invasive swaths of the West Bank, while entertaining an idea for Israel to swap out populated Israeli territory in the Wadi Ara region to a Palestinian statelet and to remove the citizenship of hundreds of thousands of Arab citizens of Israel.
Both of these aspects of the plan make them a non-starter for Palestinians, are morally indefensible, and pose critical questions on Israel’s security and democracy. To read more on why Israel must oppose the Trump annexation plan, read Peace Now’s full paper here.
Data on the plan’s annexation and populated land swaps reveals the following:
- 30% of the West Bank to be annexed by Israel
- 327,070 Palestinians to officially be brought under Israeli sovereignty – 107,070 (West Bank) + 220,000 (East Jerusalem)
- 647,072 Israelis to officially be brought under Israeli sovereignty – 412,798 (settlements), 14,274 (settlement enclaves in Palestinian territory), 220,000 (East Jerusalem)
- Israeli territory equal to 13.5% of the West Bank to be swapped out to a Palestinian statelet
- 132,028 Arab citizens to be swapped out according to the Trump Plan map
- 257,050 Arab citizens to be swapped out according to the Trump Plan list
- 120,000 East Jerusalem Palestinian non-citizen permanent residents to be swapped out
As detailed in the full Peace Now paper on why the Trump Plan must be rejected, this expansive annexation and land swaps to exclude these 132,028-257,050 Arab citizens of Israel are so problematic for the following reasons:
- It would deprive the Palestinians of a viable state – Instead they would receive several territorially disconnected enclaves, preventing natural and economic development, and remaining precariously under sweeping Israeli security control. A viable Palestinian state is critical to a lasting peace and to a stable Israeli border.
- Indefensible borders – Annexation of settlements would require Israel to secure a line of defense around the West Bank five times greater than the Green Line. Further added to this immense security burden would be the costs building a security barrier around it, as well as to secure Israeli enclaves inside Palestinian territory for less than a mere 15,000 Israelis.
- Annexation is a unilateral move that critically undermines the goodwill needed for fruitful negotiations
- It makes a mockery of a “Palestinian capital in East Jerusalem,” a Palestinian red line – The issue of Jerusalem and its holy sites is among the focal points of the conflict. The US proposal not only denies Palestinians of their symbolic national and religious capital, but it also permanently leaves hundreds of thousands of Palestinians severed from a Palestinian state, under Israeli sovereignty. Previous negotiations have proven that the conflict cannot be resolved without finding a solution for Jerusalem. Israel’s previous attempt to do so at Camp David in 2000, in proposing that the Palestinian capital be located in Abu Dis, led to the derailing of talks and contributed in part to the national-religious tensions over the ownership of parts of Jerusalem that precipitated the outbreak of the Second Intifada.
- Depriving Arab citizens of citizenship and a place in Israel is shameful, legally questionable, and reeks of ethnic cleansing. (Recommended reading on why this move would be morally abominable and how Arab citizens are an integral part of Israel (by Americans for Peace Now board member Jo-Ann Mort))
Read the Full Peace Now Paper Here
Trump Plan map of a Palestinian state (yellow)
Jordan Valley Annexation – Trump Plan versus Netanyahu Map
Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu presented a map of proposed annexation in the Jordan Valley, according to which Israel would annex some 1,236,278 dunams including 4,391 Palestinians living in 47 small communities. Another 48,559 Palestinians will be excluded from the annexation in 5 Palestinian enclaves, including one big enclave around Jericho with 40,360 people, and 4 very small enclaves with 8,199 Palestinians.
However, according to the conceptual map presented under the Trump Plan, Israel is to annex a smaller part of the Jordan Valley, around 963,686 dunams, but with additional 15 Palestinian communities, including 2,070 Palestinians, in the northwest part of the Jordan Valley (see light blue in the map below). According to the plan, only the Jericho enclave is marked as a Palestinian area (with 40,360 Palestinians), and the other 4 Palestinian enclaves proposed in the Netanyahu map (with 8,199 Palestinians) are marked in Trump’s map as annexed to Israel.
