Backgrounder

Trump Peace Plan

On January 28, 2020, President Donald Trump, accompanied by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, announced a new U.S. plan for Israeli-Palestinian peace. The plan, officially titled, Peace to Prosperity: A Vision to Improve the Lives of the Palestinian and Israeli People, was the product of three years of work by US Administration officials.   

The plan allowed for Israel to extend its sovereignty over large areas of the West Bank, including the Jordan Valley, that would include the majority of Israeli settlements, as well as maintain full control (undivided) of Jerusalem.  Palestinians were given a four-year roadmap to build governance and institutions that would ultimately lead to an independent – but demilitarized – state.   The blueprint also included a plan for economic investment in Palestinian infrastructure.  

The Israeli government officially endorsed the plan, while the Palestinian Authority – which had not engaged with the Trump team in over two years and was not involved in the drafting of the plan – rejected it and sought to mobilize opposition against it.  International reactions were relatively muted, with the Arab League rejecting it while some U.S.-allied Arab states took a more affirming stance. Many others in the international community, such as the U.N. Secretary General, the E.U., and European foreign ministers did not condone the plan but issued statements presenting it as an impetus for Israeli-Palestinian talks.   

Introduced in the last year of the Trump Administration, the plan was never implemented.