What's in Trump's "deal of the century"? The answers are in plain sight

Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki called last month on Arab states to recall their ambassadors from the United States in protest.

In another sign of anger at the Trump initiative, the Palestinians defied the US by submitting a referral for the International Criminal Court at the Hague to investigate Israel for war crimes last month. And an emergency meeting of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation has proposed that an international peacekeeping force, modelled those used in Bosnia and Kosovo in the 90s, be deployed to protect Palestinians.

Etzion, the former Israeli foreign ministry official, however, warned that a turning point could be on the horizon.

"A Palestinian implosion is coming and that could change the situation in unexpected ways," he told MEE. "The question is which implosion comes first: the humanitarian catastrophe about to engulf Gaza, or the political vacuum created when Abbas leaves."

Arab pressure

Nonetheless, the Palestinians are facing huge pressure to give in to the peace plan.

The Trump administration has already cut funding to the UN refugee agency, UNRWA, which cares for more than two million refugees in the occupied territories. It is also poised to pull more than $200m of funding to the Palestinian Authority this summer.

Trump has also sought to recruit the Arab states to lean on Abbas. According to reports, the Palestinian leader was presented with a 35-page document originating from the Americans when he visited Saudi Arabia last November, and told to accept it or resign.

In exchange for the Arab states acceding to Trump's plan, Washington appears to be rolling out a more draconian policy towards Iran to limit its influence in the region. In recent years the Saudis have increased their aid to the Palestinian Authority, giving them greater leverage over the Palestinian leader.

The Arab states understand that they need to first defuse the Palestinian issue before they can be seen to coordinate closely with Israel and the US in dealing with Tehran.

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