By David Singer ——Bio and Archives--August 13, 2019
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"This step, if taken, would constitute ongoing playing with fire," he added, and stressed that stability and security are indivisible and that "peace would not be made at any price". "Neither this step would establish any right ]to Israel], nor it will create a viable false reality," he added."Such a Trump declaration would undoubtedly help Netanyahu's re-election chance--as have Trump's declarations on Jerusalem being Israel's capital, moving the US Embassy to Jerusalem from Tel Aviv and recognising Jewish claims in the Golan Heights. However Trump's US Ambassador to Israel--David Friedman--has already made such a declaration, telling the New York Times on 8 June 2019:
"Under certain circumstances I think Israel has the right to retain some, but unlikely all, of the West Bank."Friedman diplomatically continued:
"We really don't have a view until we understand how much, on what terms, why does it make sense, why is it good for Israel, why is it good for the region, why does it not create more problems than it solves... These are all things that we'd want to understand, and I don't want to prejudge... Certainly Israel's entitled to retain some portion of it."Friedman confirmed what has been declared American policy since 2004--when President Bush made the following written commitment in his letter to Israel's then Prime Minister - the late Ariel Sharon , on 14 April 2004:
"As part of a final peace settlement, Israel must have secure and recognized borders, which should emerge from negotiations between the parties in accordance with UNSC Resolutions 242 and 338. In light of new realities on the ground, including already existing major Israeli populations centers, it is unrealistic to expect that the outcome of final status negotiations will be a full and complete return to the armistice lines of 1949, and all previous efforts to negotiate a two-state solution have reached the same conclusion. It is realistic to expect that any final status agreement will only be achieved on the basis of mutually agreed changes that reflect these realities."This commitment was overwhelmingly endorsed by the House of Representatives 407-9 on 23 June 2004 and the Senate 95-3 the next day.
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David Singer is an Australian Lawyer, a Foundation Member of the International Analyst Network and Convenor of Jordan is Palestine International—an organization calling for sovereignty of the West Bank and Gaza to be allocated between Israel and Jordan as the two successor States to the Mandate for Palestine. Previous articles written by him can be found at: jordanispalestine.blogspot.com