U.S. President Donald Trump’s so-called “deal of the century” is not a peace proposal in any contemporary sense of the term. Peace, in the Israeli-Palestinian context, requires agreement by both sides to the conflict. No one in his right mind, however, can believe that there is even a slight chance that Palestinians would accept Trump’s blueprint in any way, shape or form.
In fact, Trump’s proposal, which he is expected to unveil in his Monday and Tuesday meetings with Israel’s two competing Benjamins – Netanyahu & Gantz – isn’t actually a “deal” either. The term deal, in common usage, is usually seen as signaling agreement between two sides, not one in which one side – the Palestinians in this case – are sidelined, ignored, disdained and taken for granted.