1. The first paragraph of a news article should answer the questions who, what, where and when. List the who, what, where and when of this news item. (NOTE: The remainder of a news article provides details on the why and/or how.)

2. What did President Trump say about the benefit of his proposed peace plan for the region?

3. a) Define preconditions.
b) Palestinian statehood is included in the plan. What preconditions are included, according to U.S. ambassador to Israel David Friedman?

4. How do “most observers” regard the Trump administration’s Middle-east peace plan, according to the NBC reporter?

5. Describe the Palestinian reaction to the plan, as detailed in the article.

6. Jordan and Egypt, the only two Arab countries that have peace treaties with Israel, did not attend the roll-out of the peace plan. Which countries did send ambassadors to the event? Ask a parent or a grandparent: Why do you think the two didn’t attend, while three others did?

7. Re-read paragraph #11: “The details released by the White House raised questions about how much sovereignty a Palestinian state would have under the plan. The proposal envisions it as being surrounded by Israeli territory and not sharing a border with a neighboring Arab country, since Israel would get control of the Jordan Valley, the region that lies on the eastern portion of the West Bank bordering Jordan.”
Why do you think Israel needs to control the borders? (Ask a parent if you are not sure.)

8. Prior to the plan’s release on Monday, what did President Trump say about it?

9. UPI reported on Jan. 29:

At a meeting in the West Bank Tuesday, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, the leader of the Palestinian Authority, called the plan "the slap of the century," as opposed to the "deal of the century" as President Trump called it.

The proposal calls for a two-state solution, turns over chunks of the West Bank to the Palestinians and makes a conditional offer to place the Palestine capital in a part of East Jerusalem. Trump and Netanyahu said the plan is a "realistic" path to peace, but they didn't include Palestinian leaders in drawing up the framework of the proposal.

"We say a thousand times: No, no and no to the 'deal of the century,'" Abbas said, vowing that the U.S. plan "will not come to pass" and that "our people will send it to the dustbins of history."

In return for accepting the proposal and renouncing the "terrorism" of the Palestinian militant organization Hamas, Trump and Netanyahu have offered $50 billion in aid.

Abbas, however, said the offer amounts to a bribe, asserting that "Jerusalem is not for sale" and that the Palestinian people's "rights are not for sale or bartering."

"Will we accept a state without Jerusalem? It is impossible for any Palestinian, Arab, Muslim or Christian child to accept that," he said.

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif dismissed the plan as a "nightmare.”

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said any deal in which the Palestinians are denied a say over Jerusalem was "unacceptable."

"Jerusalem is sacred for Muslims," he said. "The plan to give Jerusalem to Israel is absolutely unacceptable. This plan ignores Palestinians' rights and is aimed at legitimizing Israel's occupation."

a) Based on these reactions, do you think it is possible to ever have peace between Israel and the Palestinians? Explain your answer.

b) What do you think of the Trump administration’s attempt to negotiate a peace deal?