Has President Trump killed the Middle East Peace Process?

Abstract

ABSTRACT President Donald Trump s long-awaited Middle East peace plan was unveiled on 28 January 2020. Some observers have suggested that the Trump vision is less a plan for peace than a unilateral statement of the terms for Palestinian surrender: Jerusalem as the undivided capital of Israel, no refugee return and Israel s annexation of the Jordan valley and all West Bank settlements in exchange for an “archipelago” state and the promise of a $50 billion investment fund. This policy commentary assesses what the Trump plan means for the peace process launched in Madrid in 1991. It reviews the evolution of the Madrid/Oslo process with particular emphasis on the underlying principles the Trump plan appears to contradict. It examines Canada s role in the process, assesses Ottawa s initial response to the Trump plan in terms of long-standing Canadian policy and outlines ways in which Canada could influence the debate going forward.