This article was first published at Christianity Today, on January 28, 2020.
After three years of anticipation—and dread—President Trump announced the launch of his “Deal of the Century” to achieve peace between Israel and Palestine.
With Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at his side, he outlined details for a proposal that would recognize a Palestinian state following extensive land swaps and security arrangements.
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas was not present, having broken off communication with the White House following several US decisions deemed biased toward Israel.
Abbas immediately rejected the plan, which Palestinians had long declared “dead on arrival.”
But Netanyahu’s acceptance was enthusiastic, declaring himself willing to begin negotiations with the Palestinians on such terms. A day earlier, Netanyahu’s challenger Benny Gantz also signaled his party’s agreement with Trump’s proposal.
With three Arab states lacking a peace treaty with Israel in attendance—Oman, Bahrain, and the United Arab Emirates—Trump hopes there will be a regional push to implement his plan.
And with $50 billion promised as investment for the nascent Palestinian state, the president believes all the necessary pieces are in place.
“All previous generations from Lyndon Johnson tried and bitterly failed,” Trump said. “But I was not elected to do small things, or shy away from big problems.”
It only required he approach peace in a “fundamentally different” manner…
Following a summary the article includes the perspective of
- Joel Rosenberg, co-founder of the Alliance for the Peace of Jerusalem
- Salim Munayer, head of the Jerusalem-based Musalaha reconciliation ministry
- Daoud Kuttab, a Palestinian journalist and secretary of the Jordan Evangelical Council in Amman
- Hanna Massad, a Palestinian pastor who led Gaza Baptist Church for 12 years and returns regularly
- Gerald McDermott, Anglican Chair of Divinity at Beeson Divinity School who recently wrote The New Christian Zionism: Fresh Perspectives on Israel and the Land
- Yohanna Katanacho, a Palestinian pastor and academic dean at Nazareth Evangelical College
- Lisa Loden, the Messianic Jewish co-chair of the Lausanne Initiative for Reconciliation in Israel–Palestine
- Joel Chernoff, general secretary of the Messianic Jewish Alliance of America
- Martin Accad, chief academic officer at Arab Baptist Theological Seminary in Beirut
- John Hagee, the founder and chairman of Christians United for Israel
- Todd Deatherage, cofounder and executive director of Telos Group, which seeks to build a “pro-Israeli, pro-Palestinian, pro-peace movement”
- Wissam al-Saliby, the Geneva-based advocacy officer for the World Evangelical Alliance
- Ibrahim Nseir, Syrian pastor of the Presbyterian Church of Aleppo
Please click here to read the full article at Christianity Today.
Jayson Casper 