Many believe that Israel did Trump a favor. Whatever the broader terms of this so-called “deal of the century,” its success or failure will ultimately come down to control of the Temple Mount. Israeli politicians say that currently all the attention is on them, but after the election, the spotlight will return to Jerusalem.

Israel Channel 13 news reported that in mid-January, a high-ranking US official presented the basics of Trump’s plan to the Netanyahu government. Israel is to be asked to withdraw from about 90 percent of Judea and Samaria and will have to surrender some neighborhoods on the eastern side of Jerusalem, all of which will become a sovereign Palestinian state.

Under those parameters, the Palestinian Authority would take sole control of a territory about double the size of what it governs today. The Americans are also reportedly calling for land swaps to make up for the remaining 10 percent of Judea and Samaria, though details were not forthcoming on what that exchange would look like.

As part of Trump’s plan, Jewish settlements are said to be divided into three...

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