Jerusalem
Outgoing Trump peace envoy meets PM amid election deadlock, will meet Gantz
By Itzhak RabihiyaGreenblatt visits Jerusalem to discuss Mideast vision, but with Israel stuck in post-vote paralysis, PM’s transitional government lacks authority to take far-reaching decisions.Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met today (Friday, 20 September 2019), at the Prime Minister's Residence in The outgoing Greenblatt is the architect of the Trump administration’s long-awaited Middle East peace plan, which has raised widespread skepticism and has already been dismissed by the Palestinians – times of Netanyahu and Greenblatt were joined by US Ambassador to Israel David Friedman, and by Israeli Ambassador to the US Ron Dermer. Neither Netanyahu nor Greenblatt delivered public remarks after their meeting, held Friday afternoon at the Prime Minister’s Residence in The office of Blue and White chairman Benny Gantz said Friday evening that the Earlier a spokesman for Gantz had denied media reports that Greenblatt and Gantz would convene, saying there had never been an invite to meet, though “we would be happy to meet when the opportunity arises.” Netanyahu and Greenblatt’s meeting took place three days after the Israeli elections, which failed to produce a clear winner. Both Netanyahu and Gantz seek to secure the premiership despite neither having a clear path to a stable governing coalition. The administration of US President Donald Trump had said it would release its long-anticipated plan for an Israeli-Palestinian peace deal shortly after the September 17 election, though no date had been set. But Under Israeli law and precedent, a transitional government, such as the one Netanyahu has now headed for nine months, is limited in terms of its capacity to take far-reaching decisions that would deeply affect the future of the state. For example, ahead of Tuesday’s vote, Netanyahu promised to immediately annex the In an interview published Wednesday, Greenblatt said the administration had not yet decided whether it will unveil the plan during or after the current coalition negotiations. “It’s too soon to tell. How will the election affect the plan? Our plan is different than what people have been talking about for so many years. We think we listened very hard to Israelis, Palestinians, the region, just about every expert.” Earlier this month, Greenblatt announced his intention to quit his position shortly after the plan is unrolled. He later clarified that he may stay on longer to see the peace proposal through. “Although I have announced my departure, I am trying to stay until the plan is launched,” Greenblatt told an event in Greenblatt, a former lawyer with the Trump Organization, has been working for the last two and a half years on the administration’s peace plan together with the president’s son-in-law and senior adviser Jared Kushner. The White House announced on September 5 that the envoy would be stepping down to return to
Attached photo credit: Kobi Gideon (GPO) | |
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