by Keren Setton
JERUSALEM, Jan. 29 (Xinhua) -- Experts say that the Middle East peace plan announced by U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday will not achieve peace.
The Palestinians dismissed the U.S. peace plan even before it was published, which outlines a future Palestinian state, without territorial continuity.
For Israel, the U.S. plan presents many sweet offerings, including recognizing Jewish settlements in the West Bank and Jerusalem as its capital.
"The plan is extremely one-sided and doesn't take Palestinian interests into account at all," said Eran Ezion, former deputy head of Israel's National Security Council. "This is why it cannot even be used by the Palestinians as the basis for negotiations."
"What we saw is exactly the opposite of how a peace plan should be presented," said Nimrod Goren, head of the Israeli Institute for Regional Foreign Policies.
The decades-old Israeli-Palestinian conflict has seen countless initiatives and proposals, attempts and failures.
The last time the two sides sat at a negotiating table was in 2014. Since then, the two sides have not talked peace and engaged in several violent exchanges.
The Palestinians have boycotted the U.S. administration since it announced the recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital in 2017.
Israeli media reported that Netanyahu is expected to bring the annexation of the Jordan valley and West Bank settlements for cabinet approval in the coming days.
The United States will recognize that annexation against the more common position held by the majority of the international community that considers Israeli settlements in the West Bank illegal.
"There will be real damage if Israel takes such steps that decrease the chances of peace in the future," Goren said. "If the status-quo is changed by Israel, this will trigger a response."
According to experts, both Trump and Netanyahu announced the plan in order to mobilize support ahead of the next U.S. presidential elections and Israeli parliamentary elections.
Trump and Netanyahu also wanted to use the announcement of the plan to save themselves as Trump faces the risk of isolation by the U.S. congress, while Netanyahu is accused of corruption in Israel, the experts said.
