BICOM

US President Donald Trump said he is willing to be tough with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu after the US presents its plan for Israeli-Palestinian talks.

According to Channel 10 news Trump told French President Emmanuel Macron at the UN General Assembly in September: “I’ve given a lot to Netanyahu. I moved the embassy to Jerusalem … we give Israel $5 billion a year. I can be tough with Netanyahu on the peace plan, just like I’ve been tough on the Palestinians,” he said. On Monday, Jared Kushner said a “reasonable” Palestinian leadership will be willing to negotiate with Israel based on the US plan.

The US plan is expected to be presented to both sides after the US midterm elections that take place on 6 November and before the end of 2018. Although many analysts believe that if Prime Minister Netanyahu calls an early election, the US team could delay publication until a new Israeli government is in place.

The Israeli Foreign Ministry’s political director, Alon Ushpiz, yesterday told a private hearing of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defence Committee that President Macron will produce a plan for Israeli-Palestinian talks if the US stalls after the midterm elections. Ushpiz said Macron had instructed his Foreign Ministry in late August to explore new ideas for resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Israel’s Channel 10 and Hadashot TV reported.

Ushpiz also warned that there could be big changes ahead for Israel if the Democrats win the House in the US midterm elections. “The elections in November are critical for Israel. A third of the members [of Congress] will be replaced and it’s not clear if they are all for us. We are starting from zero. We believe the Democrats will grow stronger and therefore there’s an effect on Israel,” he said.