US postpones announcement of ‘deal of the century’

Palestinian officials have said that the US and EU are stressing that Donald Trump’s “deal of the century” will not be revealed before 2020 due to the ongoing political instability in Israel, Maariv reported on Sunday. The new General Election in Israel scheduled for September is said to be the “main reason” why the announcement of the deal is being postponed.

The fact that the Palestinians have already rejected the proposal, as well as weak support from the Arab world for the deal, are also cited as reasons why it is being postponed. According to the Israeli newspaper, the Palestinians are worried that the delay of the deal “will not stop Israel from reaping its fruits, such as the annexation of the [occupied] West Bank.”

Maariv also quoted observers as saying that if the deal is not unveiled now, it will not happen at all, given that 2020 is an election year in the US. Presidential candidates, they argue, will not risk taking any measures that might undermine their chances of victory. The so-called “concessions” to be made by Israel under the terms of the deal will be taken off the table if Trump is not re-elected, the newspaper added.

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Israeli analyst Jackie Khoji also pointed out that the US-organised international conference in Bahrain linked to the announcement of the deal is likely to be stillborn because of the approach taken by the Gulf States.

On Friday, thousands of demonstrators took to the streets in Arab, Islamic and world capitals marking Al-Quds (Jerusalem) Day and rejecting Trump’s “deal of the century”.