Observers are sounding the alarm about the controversial timing of United States President Donald Trump's back-to-back meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his political rival Benny Gantz. The meeting was announced coinciding with the supposed making public of Trump's Middle East peace plan.
Of strongest suspicion is that Trump may use the timing of announcing the much-awaited Middle East plan to drive attention away from his Senate impeachment trial.
The world has been awaiting the release of the Middle East peace plan for two years now. It was first halted to give way for Israel's election. However, the White House changed its mind due to back-stories of government lockdown each time Israel holds elections.
Doubts are also rife for Netanyahu as the timing of the visit coincided with his indictment for fraud, breach of trust, and multimillion bribes. Netanyahu is claiming for immunity from criminal charges and decision has yet to be made.
Netanyahu and Gantz will face each other in the March election. Voters' behavior suggests a strong leaning in favor of Gantz.
Another strong scrutiny about Trump's Middle East plan is that it strikes as more of a political stunt for him and his Israeli counterpart, most especially that Palestinian officials have long said that it won't accept any peace plans unless the Trump administration communicates with them. The two leaders may be shaping the conversation to show how the state of Israel is under security risks.
Since claiming the presidential seat, Trump has made changes to foreign policies that hint about his strong leaning toward Israel. For instance, he moved the U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. He also recognized Israel's sovereignty over the Golan heights. The American president also made legal Israel's settlements in the West Bank though it contradicts popular international opinion that the settlements are illegal. All through these, both Trump and Netanyahu proclaimed success amid public outcry.
As for the individual meetings with Netanyahu and Gantz on Tuesday, unnamed sources said Trump would first meet with Netanyahu. Amid controversies, the White House said the meeting ahead of the announcement of the Middle East peace plan was aimed at defusing any misinterpretation that Trump is favoring one candidate over the other.
Accordingly, the much-awaited Middle East peace plan is said to be dozens of pages long. One issue tackled was the status of Jerusalem with respect to Israel and the Palestinians.
The multiple pages-long peace plans was touted by Trump as the "Deal of the Century." The plan, by the way, was co-authored by Jared Kushner, his son-in-law.
