Trump must reject Abbas' claims at UN on size of Palestine

The Mandate – administered by Great Britain until 1948 – saw the creation of:

• one Arab State in 78% – Jordan - in 1946
• one Jewish State in 17% - Israel - in 1948
• sovereignty remaining unallocated in the remaining 5% - Judea and Samaria (West Bank) and Gaza

Abbas's claim at the UN in 2012 and 2013:

• is deceptive and misleading
• amounts to intellectual fraud and
• rejects international law as established by the Mandate

Trump's acknowledgement that Jordan – not Israel - comprises 78% of historic Palestine would greatly enlarge the territorial field within which Trump could hope to resolve the long-running conflict which now hinges on who should exercise sovereignty over a piece of land no larger than Delaware.

Jordan's inclusion in any negotiations would permit alternative solutions to end the conflict beside the creation of another Arab State between Israel and Jordan, a proposal first floated by the United Nations in 1947 and rejected many times since then by the Arabs.

That is a prospect that should excite Trump as he seeks to find a way to end a conflict whose solution eluded Presidents Clinton, Bush and Obama over the last 23 years. Those Presidents had the best of intentions yet stumbled badly in failing to reach the finishing line because they shied away from insisting Jordan be a party to any negotiations with Israel.

Jordan - part of the conflict in Palestine since 1922 - must be part of any solution in 2017.

Trump – the consummate deal maker – must involve Jordan in any further negotiations to avoid following in the footsteps of his failed predecessors.

In the case of "Palestine" size can really make a big difference.