They finally did it. The Trump administration released the long anticipated Deal of the Century. And from a first glance, the plan definitely appears to be the plan of a hundred years. Nothing like this has ever been seen before, definitely not in Israel’s short 70 years of modern history.
As the events surrounding the release of the peace plan have taken the international stage, I’m sure you’ve already read reactions from leaders, pastors and politicians from around the world. Many Christian and Jewish leaders are lauding the plan as a new day in history. It’s being praised by many as they cite the plan’s positive aspects for both Jewish and Palestinian lives.
In this short article, I’ll give you a brief overview of what is actually in the plan, as well as the reasons why the plan may not be so good for Israel after all.
The full plan is 181 pages, and although written in an easy to read format, I’m guessing most people will not read the full document. The following is an overview of the Deal of the Century.
What it gives the Palestinians:
- Self-determination with a state of Palestine, and territory nearly equal in size to the pre-1967 borders.
- Ability to self-govern, with internal security (external security would be provided by the Israeli military)
- A resort on the northern shore of the Dead Sea
- A state-of-the-art transportation system, with a highway connecting the current area of the “West Bank” to Jordan for imports/exports as well as a highway connecting the “West Bank” and Gaza.
- Current use of Israel’s ports in Ashdod and Haifa and eventually their own port on a floating island off of the Gaza Strip.
- 50 billion dollars injected into the Palestinian economy.
- Permanent resettlement of the Palestinian refugees around the world.
- No Palestinians will be uprooted from their current homes.
- A capital in parts of East Jerusalem.
- Retainment of the status quo on the Temple Mount.
- Recognition in the international community.
Requirements for the Palestinians to have their own state:
- Recognition of Israel as a sovereign Jewish nation.
- Demilitarization
- Disarming of Hamas and recognition of Israel as a sovereign Jewish state.
- Immediate termination of terrorist salaries and payments from the Palestinian Authority to terrorists’ families.
What it gives Israel:
- Israel will be given sovereignty of 97% of the Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria.
- Recognition by the Palestinian Authority that Israel is sovereign in their own Jewish state.
- The Israeli communities in Judea and Samaria that are not included in the State of Israel, (i.e. Har Bracha, Itamar, Elon Moreh. . .,) will be enclaves with full rights and secure roads.
- The State of Israel will have control over the external security of the Palestinian State.
- Jerusalem will remain the undivided capital of the State of Israel.
- Israel will not be required to uproot any settlements in Judea and Samaria.
Requirements for the State of Israel:
- Israel will not build any new settlement or town, or expand any existing one in areas of the West Bank that are not designated to be annexed into the State of Israel.
- Israel must demolish any new structure that is built in these areas after the date of the signing of this Peace Deal.
Why this plan does not align with the Restoration of Israel:
- First of all, God gave the Land of Israel to the Jewish people forever by His promise to Abraham. This means that no one has the right to even suggest that any part of Israel should be given to anyone but the Jewish people, especially to a people who stand in fierce opposition to the promises of God.
- Second, if the Palestinians did accept the Deal of the Century, all of the communities that are not included in the annexation plan would basically be trapped inside the Palestinian state, not being allowed to expand or build. This also means that the amazing restoration that is happening on the Mountains of Samaria would be put at a standstill. While some Jewish people would be able to live in certain parts of Judea and Samaria, the opportunity for settling the Land and agricultural expansion would come to an end.
- Third, for those that say that this plan is a step toward Israeli sovereignty over all of Judea and Samaria, this assumption is hardly possible.
If you look at Gaza when Israel gave it up in 2005, it was supposed to be a demilitarized zone. Today, even though Hamas has broken the agreements of that deal, no one is talking about giving the Gaza strip back to the State of Israel. If the majority of Judea and Samaria is given to the Palestinians to declare their own sovereign state, even if the Palestinian Authority were to break the agreements of this deal, there is little to no chance that Israel would politically be able to ever declare sovereignty over the biblical heartland of Israel.
To sum this up, the Deal of the Century proposes to give a lot of much-needed help to the Palestinians, and it encourages the Palestinian Authority to act for the good of their people and lay down their hostilities to the State of Israel. This Deal gives Israel the opportunity to apply sovereignty over some of the communities in Judea and Samaria, but this comes at the huge price of giving away most of the biblical heartland of Israel to a people who daily call for the destruction of the State of Israel.
We, as Christians who believe in Bible, need to stand on God’s word and the promises that He gave to His people concerning the land of Israel.
Now more than ever is the time to stand with the biblical heartland of Israel and say that we will only support a deal that gives the Jewish people full right to the entire land of Israel.
