Western diplomatic sources revealed on Saturday that the US president Donald Trump will soon announce a political initiative to re-launch direct Palestinian-Israeli negotiations for a limited period ranging from 12 to 16 months at the latest without halting the settlement activity.
According to al-Hayat newspaper based in London the sources said that the Palestinian Authority president Mahmoud Abbas agreed in his meeting with Trump in the White House on the initiative to launch negotiations on new grounds and for a limited period of time. Issues related to the final solution will be discussed in the presence of the US.
The paper added that Trump’s initiative is based on canceling the old negotiating school of bringing the two parties to one negotiating table and rather establishing a new approach that depends on a direct US intervention between the decision-makers.
It noted that Trump did not provide guarantees to the Palestinians to stop the settlement activity but promised that there will be no large settlement projects.
Trump is scheduled to arrive in the occupied Palestinian territories next Monday and visit Bethlehem city on Tuesday where he will meet with Abbas and visit the Church of the Nativity.
