US official suggests Trump will revive 2020 Israel-Palestinian peace plan

Hook said that the 2020 Palestinian-Israeli peace plan would satisfy Saudi Arabia’s demands for normalization.

By Vered Weiss, World Israel News

A special envoy in the previous Trump Administration suggested that an Israel-Palestinian peace plan considered in 2020, known as the “Deal of the Century,” may be revived.

Brian Hook, a special envoy for Iran during Trump’s previous administration, now serves as Trump’s senior aide and is expected to lead the President-elect’s transition team in the State Department.

In a CNN interview, Hook was asked about the potential normalization of relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia.

Hook said that the 2020 Palestinian-Israeli peace plan would satisfy Saudi Arabia’s demands for normalization, namely, the establishment of a Palestinian State while preserving Israel’s security.

Hook said,  “Much of that work is still relevant today,” referring to the peace plan. However, he admitted that Israelis in the post-October 7th reality aren’t that committed to the idea of Palestinian statehood.

“There are many Israelis right now who are focused on other things, specifically keeping them safe from this kind of evil terrorism that they endured on October 7,” he says.

The plan would allow Israel to annex all of its settlements in Judea and Samaria while giving the Palestinians a semi-contiguous state in the remaining territory.

The Palestinian Authority rejected the plan when it was presented in 2020, while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised it but with some reservations.

Donald Trump’s allies on Israel’s right, especially settlers, have rejected the plan because it provides provisions for a Palestinian State.

Although Trump’s support of Israel has been well-noted, Muslim voters came out for Trump in numbers that surprised pundits.

Muslim support may have been a factor in Trump’s clinching the state that is home to the largest Arab population in the United States.

A day before the election, Trump boasted of a “record-breaking” coalition of Arab and Muslim voters in Michigan.

“We are building the biggest and broadest coalition in American Political History. This includes record-breaking numbers of Arab and Muslim Voters in Michigan who want PEACE,” said Trump on X, a day before the presidential election.