US President Donald Trump has announced the White House will be releasing their long-awaited peace plan for the Middle East within days.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his political rival Benny Gantz have been invited to Washington at the behest of Trump to discuss peace deal on Tuesday.
"It‘s a great plan. It‘s a plan that really would work," Trump told reporters on Air Force One.
"I love doing deals," he continued. "They say peace between Israel and the Palestinians is the toughest – the toughest of any deal."
Palestinian leadership was not invited to the Washington talks.
For two years, details of the alleged “deal of the century” to resolve the Palestine-Israel conflict has been kept under tight wraps with several failed attempts at its release.
Palestinians have already rejected the plan, maintaining it will likely be heavily tipped in Israel‘s favour – following in the steps of several other measures the Trump administration has taken since taking office in 2017.
Going against decades-old policy, Trump has controversially recognised Jerusalem as Israel‘s capital and relocated the US embassy there from Tel Aviv, declared that it no longer views Israeli settlements in occupied territory as "inconsistent with international law" and stopped funding the United Nations‘ Palestinian refugee agency UNRWA.
Spokesman of the PA presidency, Nabil Abu Rudeineh, said in a statement the Palestinian leadership will refuse any steps by the US that would breach international law.
“Our stance is firm. We call for ending the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories occupied in 1967, including East Jerusalem.”
“The Palestinian leadership has a clear and unwavering position, rejecting Trump’s decisions on Jerusalem and other issues, as well as everything that has to do with the so-called deal of the century,” Rudeineh added.
Abu Rudeineh warned that if the deal is announced in its rejected format, a series of measures to protect Palestinians’ legitimate rights will be announced, and will demand Israel to assume its full responsibilities as an occupying power.
“We warn Israel and the US administration of crossing the red lines,” the statement continued.
The plan would be unveiled as Netanyahu seeks parliamentary immunity from prosecution in corruption cases and Trump‘s Senate impeachment trial continues on Capitol Hill.
Both leaders also facing re-elections this year. Israelis are due back in the polls on 2 March, the third election in a year, and Trump is preparing for the US presidential election on 3 November.