Trump unveils Mideast plan after Netanyahu indicted

Saudi Arabia’s King, Salman Bin Abdulaziz, talked via the phone late Tuesday with the Palestinian President, Mahmoud Abbas, assuring him of the kingdom’s “steadfast stance on the Palestinian issue and the rights of the Palestinian people,” Saudi Press Agency [SPA] reported.

Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement on Tuesday in response to the U.S. Administration’s announcement of the Middle East peace plan. The statement said that Kingdom of Saudi Arabia reaffirms its support for all efforts aimed to reach a “comprehensive resolution to the Palestinian cause.” 

Saudi Arabia “appreciates the efforts of President Trump’s Administration to develop a comprehensive peace plan” urging both sides to start peace negotiations under the auspices of the US and to address any differences on any aspects of the plan through negotiations, statement added.

We’re wrapping up live coverage for today. You can find more on Trump’s Middle East plan here.

The White House has on Tuesday unveiled its long awaited plan for the Middle East.

Dubbed “the Deal of the Century” by President Donald Trump – and “the Slap of the Century” by the Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas – the deal envisions a two-state solution with a united Jerusalem under Israeli control.

Here are its key points:

The map released by the White House as part of the plan.

The White House’s vision for Middle East peace appears to upset one of the fundamental aspects of the status quo, by opening up the holiest site in Jerusalem to prayer of all faiths.

Until now, prayer at the site, known to Muslims as Haram al-Sharif and to Jews as Temple Mount, was allowed only to Muslims. Jews and Christians could visit the site as tourists, but they were barred from praying at the site.

The White House plan appears to propose opening up prayer to Jews and Christians, which has been a call of religious, right-wing leaders for years. 

The plan starts out by saying, “In particular, the status quo at the Temple Mount/Haram al-Sharif should continue uninterrupted.”

But then it goes on immediately to say:

Israel’s opposition Blue and White party, led by Benny Gantz, has endorsed President Donald Trump’s Middle East plan, but said that it should be led by someone who is not facing serious criminal charges – a reference to the indictment of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu just hours before the announcement of the plan.

“President Trump’s Peace Plan provides a strong, viable basis for advancing a peace accord with the Palestinians, while preserving the existing arrangements between Israel and Jordan and Egypt, and enabling their expansion to additional countries in the region,” the party said in a statement Tuesday night.

“In order for implementation to be possible, Israel must move forward toward a strong and stable government, led by an individual who can direct the fullness of his time and energy toward ensuring the country’s security and its future, rather than by a defendant facing serious charges of bribery, who would be entirely steeped in his personal and legal interests.”

Jared Kushner has told CNN’s Christiane Amanpour that he doesn’t think Israel will start imposing its law on the territories assigned to it by the plan.

That goes against what the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said earlier. According to a statement from the Prime Minister’s Office, Israel will apply the first stage of Israeli sovereignty in the West Bank on Sunday.

The United Nations has poured some cold water on the plan announced by the White House.

In a statement, the organization said the position of the United Nations on the two-State solution “has been defined, throughout the years, by relevant Security Council and General Assembly resolutions by which the Secretariat is bound.”

It said:

In contrast, the Trump plan states that “the State of Israel and the United States do not believe the State of Israel is legally bound to provide the Palestinians with 100 percent of pre-1967 territory (a belief that is consistent with United Nations Security Council Resolution 242).”

The United Arab Emirates offered what appears to be – so far – the most concrete endorsement of Trump’s plan by any Arab nation.

“The plan announced today offers an important starting point for a return to negotiations within a US-led international framework,” the UAE’s ambassador the US Yousef Al Otaiba said in a statement.

In contrast to statements from Israel’s neighbors Jordan and Egypt, the initial UAE statement does not reference a two-state solution. The statement said:

Egypt has reacted by insisting that any deal must respect the “full legitimate rights” of the Palestinian people. Egypt’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement: 

CNN’s chief international anchor Christiane Amanpour is speaking to White House senior adviser Jared Kushner.

Watch the interview live on CNN International here.