Samer Sinijlawi
Former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert signed an agreement with Nasser al-Qudwa, nephew of former Palestinian Authority President Yasser Arafat, on July 17, 2024, where they agreed to “work together to promote the achievement of peace in the Middle East” through a successful application of the two-state solution with 1967 borders as a basis, according to documents published by N12 on Friday.
The current agreement is based on Olmert’s famously mysterious solution presented to Mahmoud Abbas in 2008.
The current agreement would see 4.4% of the total territory of the West Bank annexed by Israel, with some Israeli territory being swapped in its place.
They called for a mutual agreement on which locations to swap, taking into consideration security and practicality.
The swaps would include a corridor linking Gaza and the West Bank as part of the 4.4%.
Support for Biden’s plan
They voiced support for the plan President Biden presented at the UN Security Council, which called for the creation of a “Council of Commissioners” to govern the Gaza Strip after an Israeli withdrawal.
“This Council should be organically linked to the PA and, together, with the Council of Ministers, should prepare both the West Bank and the Gaza Strip for general elections within 24 to 36 months.”
They also agreed to the creation of a Temporary Arab Security Presence to be deployed to Gaza, which would coordinate with the IDF and a new Palestinian security force established by the Council of Commissioners.
The Temporary Arab Security Presence’s mandate will be to prevent attacks from Gaza into Israel.
They also raised the possibility of international forces being stationed along the river Jordan.
The Palestinian state is to be a non-militarized state except for the needs of internal policing and security forces.
They also agreed to the need for a “Donors Conference” made up of wealthy countries willing to seriously participate.
Partition of Jerusalem
Regarding Jerusalem, Israel will receive all of West Jerusalem plus any Jewish neighborhoods built after 1967; these will be included in the 4.4%.
All Arab neighborhoods that were not part of Israel before 1967 will be part of Palestinian Jerusalem.
The Old City is to be administered by a trusteeship of five states, including Israel and Palestine.
“The Trusteeship will have authority in all areas according to rules defined by the UN Security Council.”
The agreement also recognizes the special historic role of the King of Jordan in the Old City.
“There would be no limitations on worship or movement in the Holy Basin. Jews, Muslims, and Christians will have freedom of access to the Holy Sites, respectively. No one country will have exclusive political sovereignty of the Holy Basin.”
In conclusion, they called for relevant parties on both sides to negotiate additional important elements for a final agreement and called on both sides to adopt this as a basis for a future agreement.
Originally Published in the Jerusalem Post at https://www.jpost.com/israel-hamas-war/article-817119
For more information regarding Dr. Baskin and Samer Sinjilawi see https://gershonbaskin.org/insights/trauma-and-the-hope-for-tomorrow/
Click here for a copy of the original Proposal by Ehud Olmert and Nasser Al Qudwa
