(JP) – US President Donald Trump is expected to decide in the coming days whether to present the White House’s “Deal of the Century” before the Israeli election, Channel 13’s political correspondent Barak Ravid has reported. Ravid was speaking to the American news website Axios on Sunday. According to Ravid, there has been intense deliberation among Trump’s advisers regarding the issue, but the president is presumably concerned about the possible effect the publication of the peace plan might have on Israel’s March 2 election – as well as on his own re-election.
However, if Trump decides to wait until after the election, it may be difficult for him to present his plan later due to his own 2020 re-election campaign, Ravid said. Presenting the plan before the election might tilt the odds in favor of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, whose primary focus in the run-up to the election is expected to be on the question of parliamentary immunity. After Netanyahu was indicted for bribery, fraud and breach of trust, his legal issues have also become the focus of the campaign by rival party Blue and White, which is currently also the largest party in the Knesset. Trump’s “Deal of the Century” to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has been the focus of much speculation. FULL REPORT
