American Peace Plan on Hold Several Months More

U.S. Ambassador to Israel David Friedman confirmed on Sunday recent reports that although the Trump administration’s Middle East peace plan is “pretty much completed,” it will not be made public for another several months.

Israel’s April elections “are a factor, but not the only factor” in the postponement, Friedman told reporters.

The White House wants to release the plan “in a way that gives it the best chance of getting a good reception,” said Friedman, adding that there was still some “wordsmithing and smoothing” required before it was publicized.

“The challenge to a peace plan is making the case for a much more sober assessment of the realities in this region. The last time there was a meaningful agreement between the Israelis and the Palestinians was 1993. A lot has happened since 1993,” Friedman said, referring to the Oslo Accords.

Friedman made the comments at a press briefing alongside National Security Adviser John Bolton, ahead of their meeting with Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu.

The public has been anticipating the plan for over a year, after U.S. President Donald Trump promised “the deal of the century.” Recently, reports said it would be released before the end of 2018, which was then pushed back to early 2019.