'I think we might have a chance': Trump says he'll release Middle East peace plan Tuesday
President Donald Trump said there's a chance the Middle East peace plan he plans to release on Tuesday - after three years in development - wins the support of Palestinians and Arab nations but that he can live with its rejection.
"We're going to show a plan that's been worked on by everybody," Trump said Monday at the White House, alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. "And we'll see whether or not it catches hold. If it does, that would be great. And if it doesn't, we can live with that too, but I think we might have a chance."
Trump made the comments as he opened meetings with Netanyahu to discuss the long-promised peace plan, with both leaders using the talks to deflect from domestic challenges to their political survival.
Netanyahu's political rival Benny Gantz also was scheduled to visit the White House on Monday, and Trump said he will release details of the plan at noon Washington time on Tuesday. The meetings come as Trump's lawyers present their defense in the Senate against removing him from office and as Netanyahu's request for legal immunity from three separate corruption trials is up for a parliamentary vote in Jerusalem.
Netanyahu said before boarding a plane to Washington on Sunday that he's going to "make history" with Trump, though Palestinian leaders and political analysts have condemned the president's plan as ultimately futile. Trump said Netanyahu supports the plan. And the president told reporters on Monday that there's a good chance Palestinians will come around eventually.
'Overly Good'
"They probably won't want it initially, but I think in the end they will," he said. "I think in the end they're going to want it. It's very good for them. In fact, it's overly good to them, so we'll see what happens."
He also asserted that "many of the Arab nations have agreed to it - they like it, they think it's great, they think it's a big start, too." He said, "I think it's a fantastic thing if we can pull it off."
Trump is widely expected to produce a solution that is favorable to Israel over the Palestinians, which may help him shore up the backing of evangelical Christians, who are stalwart defenders of Israel, as well as conservative Jewish contributors for his reelection bid in November.
Netanyahu has just over a month to finally convince Israeli voters that despite his legal predicament, he's the superior choice over top rival Gantz, the former military chief who has battled the Israeli leader to a draw in two consecutive elections. Gantz has started to appeal to right-wing voters in his effort to unseat Netanyahu.
The Israeli prime minister has touted his close ties to Trump, who has furthered Israeli interests. Netanyahu praised Trump on Tuesday for his combative stance toward the Iranian government, whose policies Netanyahu has long described as posing an existential threat to his country.
According to the latest polls, Netanyahu's Likud party trails Gantz's Blue and White bloc, though neither man has enough support to form a majority government and break Israel's political stalemate.
Talk about Trump's peace plan has drowned out what has been until now the focus of the past two Israeli elections - Netanyahu's corruption trials. Gantz is expected to fly back to Israel in time for a likely debate on the immunity proposal on Tuesday.
Politically, Gantz may have had little choice but to come to Washington for meetings where he's sure to be upstaged by Netanyahu. Otherwise, he could be perceived as rejecting what Netanyahu has called a historic opportunity to widen Israel's borders with strong U.S. backing.
Palestinian leaders will be conspicuously absent from the White House meetings. They have spurned talks with the Trump administration, citing what they have called a series of moves showing favor toward Israel. Those include moving the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem, recognizing Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights and proclaiming that Israeli settlements in the West Bank aren't necessarily illegal.