Search

Bennett to Trump on peace deal: ‘Let my people know’

Bennett demanded that Trump provide details on precisely what he is planning to offer the Palestinians.

By World Israel News Staff

On Wednesday, the leader of Israel’s New Right party, Naftali Bennett, challenged U.S. President Donald Trump to divulge to the Israeli public the terms of his ‘Deal of the Century’ peace plan, accusing Trump of providing the details to other stakeholders in the region and secretly planning to establish a Palestinian state under Israel’s nose.

“Israel has no greater friend than the United States of America,” Bennett stated at the annual international Municipal Innovation Conference in Tel Aviv. “It is a friendship based on trust and shared values. And there is no doubt that you, President Trump, are a true friend to Israel. However, friends do not keep secrets from one another.”

“‎‏We all know the ‘Deal of the Century’ will be launched right after the Israeli elections, but we, the Israelis, are in the dark about the plan itself. It seems that everybody is in the loop, planning the Palestinian state right over our heads: the Americans, the Saudi prince, the Palestinians, the Jordanian king — even Erdogan of Turkey, blatant anti-Semite,” Bennett continued. “Everybody’s in the picture. Everybody but us, the people of Israel.”

Bennett later riffed on the Prophet Moses’ famous demand,  “Let my people go,” to the Egyptian leader to free the children of Israel from slavery, saying “President Trump, let my people know.”

While the White House has touted a comprehensive Middle East peace plan since Trump took office, details of the plan have remained shrouded in mystery and the plan’s release has been repeatedly delayed.

Earlier in the week, Trump’s senior adviser and son-in-law Jared Kushner made comments to Sky News Arabic regarding “establishing borders and resolving final status issues” that caused consternation among Israeli politicians and the general public alike.

In response to these comments, Bennett told the crowd in Tel Aviv on Wednesday, “Let my people know what will happen to Jerusalem. It’s our land. It’s our lives. It’s our future. And it’s our right to decide our fate,” he added. “The Land of Israel has been our homeland for almost 4,000 years. Nobody can tear it apart. Nobody can divide Jerusalem again.”

Bennett also directly referenced Israel’s upcoming elections, in which Israel’s right-wing parties will face stiff competition from a new list formed by Benny Gantz and Yair Lapid that is positioning itself as centrist, while being repeatedly attacked as harboring leftist positions.

“‎‏The Israeli public is facing a crucial election, a referendum on the creation of a Palestinian terror state, which will threaten our very existence. This is not theory. This is about the lives of our children,” Bennett said.

“What is the ‘Deal of the Century’? Why is it being hidden from us,” Bennett asked.