29 jan 2020 Page 2
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Trump’s Kushner Plan, also known as the ‘Deal of the Century,’ gives Israel control of Palestinian land, makes settlements part of Israel, ensures endless Palestinian Occupation, and is a recipe for disaster.
Standing beside a grateful Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, US President Donald Trump unveiled his Middle East plan, which is referred to as the "Deal of the Century", on January 28. The plan promises a better life for the Palestinians if they give up their hopes for freedom. The Palestinians were not involved in the making of the 80-page brochure and were not invited to the launch party. So, what are the prospects for Trump's "ultimate deal" for the Middle East? Join Steve Clemons and his panel in a discussion of the timing and content of the plan. Guests: - Noura Erakat - Human rights lawyer, co-founder of Jadaliyya, assistant professor of Africana Studies at Rutgers University - Dan Arbell - Former Israeli diplomat and negotiator, scholar at Center for Israeli Studies at American University - Shibley Telhami - Anwar Sadat Professor for Peace and Development at the University of Maryland |
Many Arab and European countries, on Tuesday, witnessed mass rallies in protest against US Preseident Donald Trump’s “Deal of the Century.” Protests are to continue into Wednesday, in many European countries.
In Gaza, rallies took place in a number of cities, rejecting the plan announced by Trump from Washington.
According to Al Ray Palestinian Media Agency, the demonstrators say the plan ignores Palestinian rights and principles, and violates all international agreements, especially with regard to Jerusalem and the right of return, stressing that it shows the gravity of American collusion with the Israeli occupation state.
Dozens of Palestinians demonstrated in Haifa, carrying banners reading “Yes to national unity, enough for Oslo and its aftermath,” and “The deal of the century will not pass from Haifa.”
In the cities of Ramallah, Tulkarem, Jenin, and Bethlehem, in the West Bank, several demonstrations took place in the streets, the demonstrators announcing their rejection of the US “deal,” while Palestinian mosques opened the Holy Qur’an via loudspeaker, to mourn the announcement of the deal.
Protesters in Tulkarem burned pictures of President Trump, and announced a commercial strike for Wednesday afternoon, while the Palestinian Coordination Committee in the city of Hebron launched a series of activities.
In Jordan, youth and popular parties organized a protest in front of the American embassy in Amman, coinciding with the announcement of the plan. The protesters denounced what they described as the American bias to the Israeli occupation and its attempt to liquidate the Palestinian issue and confiscate the Palestinian people’s right to self-determination and its right to occupied Jerusalem.
In Turkey, activists demonstrated in front of the American embassy in Ankara and the American consulate in Istanbul, stressing their non-recognition of what they described as the “Zionist entity” and carrying banners displaying phrases like “Jerusalem for Muslims” and “We are vigilant for Palestine.”
Activists gave speeches in Ankara, stating that the plan came to implement the Greater Israel project that began a century ago, in the Middle East.
Members of the Palestinian and Arab community and German solidarity protesters raised the Palestinian flags in front of the Washington embassy, in the German capital of Berlin, immediately after Trump announced his plan, chanting slogans expressing their complete rejection of the plan, and raising banners affirming that Jerusalem is the capital of the Palestinian state, and that the right of return not negotiable.
The head of the Popular Conference for Palestinian Abroad, Majed Al-Zeer, said in a speech that Trump, like his predecessors, cannot skip the Palestinian right and exceed its demands, calling on German Chancellor Angela Merkel to take a stance that rejects the plan.
US President Donald Trump’s long-awaited Middle East plan was denounced by some as “aggressive” and “one-sided” while others say the initiative “could prove a positive step forward.”
“My vision presents a win-win solution for both sides,” he said, adding that Israeli leaders have said they will endorse the proposal.
Here is how the world reacted to the announcement, according to Al Jazeera:
UAE
Yousef al-Otaiba, the United Arab Emirates’ ambassador to Washington, said the plan “offers an important starting point for a return to negotiations within a US-led international framework.”
“The only way to guarantee a lasting solution is to reach an agreement between all concerned parties,” al-Otaiba said in a statement, on Tuesday.
“The UAE believes that Palestinians and Israelis can achieve lasting peace and genuine coexistence with the support of the international community.”
Iran
Iranian officials dismissed the so-called “peace proposal” as “a plan of imposition and sanctions.”
Hesameddin Ashena, an adviser to Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani, said, on Twitter: “This is a deal between the Zionist regime (Israel) and America. Interaction with Palestinians is not on its agenda. This is not a peace plan but a plan of imposition and sanctions.”
Later, Iran’s foreign ministry said in a statement that the proposal was the “treason of the century” and bound to fail.
Jordan
Jordan warned against “annexation of Palestinian lands” with the kingdom’s foreign minister warning against the “dangerous consequences of unilateral Israeli measures that aim to impose new realities on the ground.”
Ayman Safadi called for direct negotiations that solve all final status issues in a comprehensive solution, in accordance with established terms of reference, the Arab peace initiative and international law.
“Establishment of a Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital on the basis of a two-state solution is the only path to comprehensive and lasting peace,” Safadi said, in a statement.
“Jordan supports every genuine effort aimed at achieving just and comprehensive peace that people will accept,” he said.
Dozens of protesters gathered outside the US embassy in Amman to protest Trump’s plan, shouting slogans including “No to normalisation” and “We will not recognise Israel.”
Palestinians
Sami Abu Zhuri, an official of Hamas which governs the Gaza Strip, said Trump’s statement was “aggressive and will spark a lot of anger.”
“Trump’s statement about Jerusalem is nonsense and Jerusalem will always be the land of the Palestinians,” he told Reuters News Agency. “The Palestinians will confront this deal and Jerusalem will remain a Palestinian land.”
“After the nonsense that we heard today, we say a thousand no’s to the Deal of The Century,” PA President Mahmoud Abbas said at a press conference, in the West Bank city of Ramallah, where the Palestinian Authority is headquartered.
He said that Palestinians remain committed to ending the Israeli occupation and establishing a state with its capital in east Jerusalem.
“We will not kneel and we will not surrender,” Abbas said, adding that the Palestinians would resist the plan through “peaceful, popular means.”
Egypt
Egypt urged Israelis and Palestinians to “carefully study” the proposal. The foreign ministry stated that the plan favours a solution which restores all the “legitimate rights” of the Palestinian people through establishing an “independent and sovereign state on the occupied Palestinian territories.”
Egypt, which along with Jordan is the only Arab country to have made peace with Israel, said it appreciates the US administration’s efforts to try to resolve the decades-old conflict.
Turkey
Numan Kurtulmus, deputy chairman of Turkey’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AK), also slammed Trump’s statements on Jerusalem, saying: “No, Trump! Jerusalem is the capital of the Palestinian state and the heart of the Islamic world!”
Hezbollah
Calling the plan “deal of shame,” Lebanon’s Hezbollah movement said it was a very dangerous step which would have negative consequences on the region’s future, according to Al Manar TV.
It also said the proposal would not have happened without “complicity and betrayal” of several Arab states.
Yemen’s Houthis
Mohammed Ali al-Houthi, a leader of Yemen’s Houthi rebels, said Trump’s proposal was “blatant US aggression on Palestine and the nation.”
“It is a deal funded by Saudi (Arabia) and the UAE (United Arab Emirates) to cement Israeli occupation,” he said. “The people of the region have to bear the responsibility of standing up to this danger and facing it with every possible and legitimate means.”
Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia’s King Salman reassured the Kingdom’s commitment to the Palestinian issue and Palestinian rights, in a phone call with Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas, the Saudi state news agency reported, early on Wednesday.
United Kingdom
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s spokesperson said the plan could be a positive step.
“The leaders (Johnson and Trump) discussed the United States’ proposal for peace between Israelis and Palestinians, which could prove a positive step forwards,” he said.
Dominic Raab, Britain’s foreign minister, called on Israeli and Palestinian leaders to give fair consideration to the initiative.
“This is clearly a serious proposal, reflecting extensive time and effort,” said Raab in a statement. “We encourage them (leaders) to give these plans genuine and fair consideration, and explore whether they might prove a first step on the road back to negotiations,” he said.
United Nations
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres according to his spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said the UN supports two states living in peace and security within recognised borders, on the basis of the pre-1967 borders.
In Gaza, rallies took place in a number of cities, rejecting the plan announced by Trump from Washington.
According to Al Ray Palestinian Media Agency, the demonstrators say the plan ignores Palestinian rights and principles, and violates all international agreements, especially with regard to Jerusalem and the right of return, stressing that it shows the gravity of American collusion with the Israeli occupation state.
Dozens of Palestinians demonstrated in Haifa, carrying banners reading “Yes to national unity, enough for Oslo and its aftermath,” and “The deal of the century will not pass from Haifa.”
In the cities of Ramallah, Tulkarem, Jenin, and Bethlehem, in the West Bank, several demonstrations took place in the streets, the demonstrators announcing their rejection of the US “deal,” while Palestinian mosques opened the Holy Qur’an via loudspeaker, to mourn the announcement of the deal.
Protesters in Tulkarem burned pictures of President Trump, and announced a commercial strike for Wednesday afternoon, while the Palestinian Coordination Committee in the city of Hebron launched a series of activities.
In Jordan, youth and popular parties organized a protest in front of the American embassy in Amman, coinciding with the announcement of the plan. The protesters denounced what they described as the American bias to the Israeli occupation and its attempt to liquidate the Palestinian issue and confiscate the Palestinian people’s right to self-determination and its right to occupied Jerusalem.
In Turkey, activists demonstrated in front of the American embassy in Ankara and the American consulate in Istanbul, stressing their non-recognition of what they described as the “Zionist entity” and carrying banners displaying phrases like “Jerusalem for Muslims” and “We are vigilant for Palestine.”
Activists gave speeches in Ankara, stating that the plan came to implement the Greater Israel project that began a century ago, in the Middle East.
Members of the Palestinian and Arab community and German solidarity protesters raised the Palestinian flags in front of the Washington embassy, in the German capital of Berlin, immediately after Trump announced his plan, chanting slogans expressing their complete rejection of the plan, and raising banners affirming that Jerusalem is the capital of the Palestinian state, and that the right of return not negotiable.
The head of the Popular Conference for Palestinian Abroad, Majed Al-Zeer, said in a speech that Trump, like his predecessors, cannot skip the Palestinian right and exceed its demands, calling on German Chancellor Angela Merkel to take a stance that rejects the plan.
US President Donald Trump’s long-awaited Middle East plan was denounced by some as “aggressive” and “one-sided” while others say the initiative “could prove a positive step forward.”
“My vision presents a win-win solution for both sides,” he said, adding that Israeli leaders have said they will endorse the proposal.
Here is how the world reacted to the announcement, according to Al Jazeera:
UAE
Yousef al-Otaiba, the United Arab Emirates’ ambassador to Washington, said the plan “offers an important starting point for a return to negotiations within a US-led international framework.”
“The only way to guarantee a lasting solution is to reach an agreement between all concerned parties,” al-Otaiba said in a statement, on Tuesday.
“The UAE believes that Palestinians and Israelis can achieve lasting peace and genuine coexistence with the support of the international community.”
Iran
Iranian officials dismissed the so-called “peace proposal” as “a plan of imposition and sanctions.”
Hesameddin Ashena, an adviser to Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani, said, on Twitter: “This is a deal between the Zionist regime (Israel) and America. Interaction with Palestinians is not on its agenda. This is not a peace plan but a plan of imposition and sanctions.”
Later, Iran’s foreign ministry said in a statement that the proposal was the “treason of the century” and bound to fail.
Jordan
Jordan warned against “annexation of Palestinian lands” with the kingdom’s foreign minister warning against the “dangerous consequences of unilateral Israeli measures that aim to impose new realities on the ground.”
Ayman Safadi called for direct negotiations that solve all final status issues in a comprehensive solution, in accordance with established terms of reference, the Arab peace initiative and international law.
“Establishment of a Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital on the basis of a two-state solution is the only path to comprehensive and lasting peace,” Safadi said, in a statement.
“Jordan supports every genuine effort aimed at achieving just and comprehensive peace that people will accept,” he said.
Dozens of protesters gathered outside the US embassy in Amman to protest Trump’s plan, shouting slogans including “No to normalisation” and “We will not recognise Israel.”
Palestinians
Sami Abu Zhuri, an official of Hamas which governs the Gaza Strip, said Trump’s statement was “aggressive and will spark a lot of anger.”
“Trump’s statement about Jerusalem is nonsense and Jerusalem will always be the land of the Palestinians,” he told Reuters News Agency. “The Palestinians will confront this deal and Jerusalem will remain a Palestinian land.”
“After the nonsense that we heard today, we say a thousand no’s to the Deal of The Century,” PA President Mahmoud Abbas said at a press conference, in the West Bank city of Ramallah, where the Palestinian Authority is headquartered.
He said that Palestinians remain committed to ending the Israeli occupation and establishing a state with its capital in east Jerusalem.
“We will not kneel and we will not surrender,” Abbas said, adding that the Palestinians would resist the plan through “peaceful, popular means.”
Egypt
Egypt urged Israelis and Palestinians to “carefully study” the proposal. The foreign ministry stated that the plan favours a solution which restores all the “legitimate rights” of the Palestinian people through establishing an “independent and sovereign state on the occupied Palestinian territories.”
Egypt, which along with Jordan is the only Arab country to have made peace with Israel, said it appreciates the US administration’s efforts to try to resolve the decades-old conflict.
Turkey
Numan Kurtulmus, deputy chairman of Turkey’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AK), also slammed Trump’s statements on Jerusalem, saying: “No, Trump! Jerusalem is the capital of the Palestinian state and the heart of the Islamic world!”
Hezbollah
Calling the plan “deal of shame,” Lebanon’s Hezbollah movement said it was a very dangerous step which would have negative consequences on the region’s future, according to Al Manar TV.
It also said the proposal would not have happened without “complicity and betrayal” of several Arab states.
Yemen’s Houthis
Mohammed Ali al-Houthi, a leader of Yemen’s Houthi rebels, said Trump’s proposal was “blatant US aggression on Palestine and the nation.”
“It is a deal funded by Saudi (Arabia) and the UAE (United Arab Emirates) to cement Israeli occupation,” he said. “The people of the region have to bear the responsibility of standing up to this danger and facing it with every possible and legitimate means.”
Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia’s King Salman reassured the Kingdom’s commitment to the Palestinian issue and Palestinian rights, in a phone call with Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas, the Saudi state news agency reported, early on Wednesday.
United Kingdom
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s spokesperson said the plan could be a positive step.
“The leaders (Johnson and Trump) discussed the United States’ proposal for peace between Israelis and Palestinians, which could prove a positive step forwards,” he said.
Dominic Raab, Britain’s foreign minister, called on Israeli and Palestinian leaders to give fair consideration to the initiative.
“This is clearly a serious proposal, reflecting extensive time and effort,” said Raab in a statement. “We encourage them (leaders) to give these plans genuine and fair consideration, and explore whether they might prove a first step on the road back to negotiations,” he said.
United Nations
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres according to his spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said the UN supports two states living in peace and security within recognised borders, on the basis of the pre-1967 borders.
Jeremy Corbyn, leader of the British Labour Party, has strongly denounced the US president’s announcement of his deal of the century, calling it “a threat to peace.”
“Donald Trump’s Middle East deal is not a peace plan. It is a plan to lock in illegal Israeli colonisation and deny Palestinian rights.
It is a threat to peace,” Corbyn said in Twitter remarks on Wednesday.
“The UK government should oppose this travesty and press for a real peace deal and a genuine two state solution,” he added.
“Donald Trump’s Middle East deal is not a peace plan. It is a plan to lock in illegal Israeli colonisation and deny Palestinian rights.
It is a threat to peace,” Corbyn said in Twitter remarks on Wednesday.
“The UK government should oppose this travesty and press for a real peace deal and a genuine two state solution,” he added.
The Israeli occupation government announced it would vote next Sunday on annexing 30 percent of the occupied West Bank, a move that comes immediately after US president Donald Trump rolled out his pro-Israel peace plan.
Israeli premier Benjamin Netanyahu said he would move forward on Sunday and ask his cabinet to approve plans to annex vast tracts of the West Bank and Jerusalem territory as well as the entire occupied Jordan Valley.
Netanyahu’s government also signaled its annexation plans might not need to be approved by the Knesset, Israel’s parliament, and that only the cabinet needs to sign them off.
“Basically, this is the lifting of martial law and the implementation of Israeli law,” an Israeli government official told The Washington Post. “This does not require a Knesset decision.”
The announcement of the intended vote came shortly after Trump’s unveiling of his peace plan, which has given the occupation state the green light to annex the Jordan Valley and the lands of the illegal settlements and to step up its Judaization and ethnic cleansing activities in the holy city.
Israeli premier Benjamin Netanyahu said he would move forward on Sunday and ask his cabinet to approve plans to annex vast tracts of the West Bank and Jerusalem territory as well as the entire occupied Jordan Valley.
Netanyahu’s government also signaled its annexation plans might not need to be approved by the Knesset, Israel’s parliament, and that only the cabinet needs to sign them off.
“Basically, this is the lifting of martial law and the implementation of Israeli law,” an Israeli government official told The Washington Post. “This does not require a Knesset decision.”
The announcement of the intended vote came shortly after Trump’s unveiling of his peace plan, which has given the occupation state the green light to annex the Jordan Valley and the lands of the illegal settlements and to step up its Judaization and ethnic cleansing activities in the holy city.
Hundreds of people on Tuesday night rallied outside the US embassy in the Turkish capital Ankara in protest at the US president’s announcement of his alleged peace plan, which is informally known as “the deal of the century.”
A similar protest was also staged near the US consulate in Istanbul, where scores of protesters carried Palestinian flags and placards in support of Jerusalem and Palestine and chanted slogans against the US and its President Trump.
According to Anadolu news agency, the protests were called for by civil society organizations, unions and some humanitarian institutions.
A similar protest was also staged near the US consulate in Istanbul, where scores of protesters carried Palestinian flags and placards in support of Jerusalem and Palestine and chanted slogans against the US and its President Trump.
According to Anadolu news agency, the protests were called for by civil society organizations, unions and some humanitarian institutions.
Al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, on Tuesday released a picture carrying a message to US president Donald Trump about his deal of the century.
The message read that “the deal of the century will not pass.”
The Hamas Movement, for its part, released a statement strongly denouncing Trump for announcing his plan, which it said “was made by the Zio-American axis of evil with the aim of liquidating the Palestinian cause, perpetuating the pillars of the Jewish state and selling illusions to the Palestinian people.”
Hamas warned that Trump’s announcement of his plan would lead the situation to explode in the face of the Israeli occupation and destabilize the region further, holding the US administration and its Israel ally fully responsible for the repercussions of their actions.
The Movement also slammed some Arab and European foreign ministers for attending the ceremony which Trump held to announce his plan to liquidate the Palestinian cause, describing their participation in such announcement as shameful.
“It was a shame that some Arab and European foreign ministers attended such announcement that aims to liquidate the Palestinian cause, provide cover for the Israeli-American aggression against Palestine, criminalize the Palestinian struggle and legitimize the Israeli terrorism,” Hamas said.
It stressed the need for an urgent national plan to confront the US plan through escalating all forms of struggle and resistance against the occupation and mobilizing the Muslim nation and the Palestinian people’s friends to strongly support the Palestinian cause.
Trump on Tuesday announced what he called a 80-page peace plan in the presence of Israeli premier Benjamin Netanyahu and diplomats from Israel and some European and Arab countries.
He gave himself the right to give away Jerusalem to the Israelis and decide the fate of the occupied Palestinian people and their future state.
“Jerusalem will remain Israel’s undivided capital. But that’s no big deal, because I’ve already done that for you, right?” Trump blatantly said, addressing the people who attended his announcement.
The message read that “the deal of the century will not pass.”
The Hamas Movement, for its part, released a statement strongly denouncing Trump for announcing his plan, which it said “was made by the Zio-American axis of evil with the aim of liquidating the Palestinian cause, perpetuating the pillars of the Jewish state and selling illusions to the Palestinian people.”
Hamas warned that Trump’s announcement of his plan would lead the situation to explode in the face of the Israeli occupation and destabilize the region further, holding the US administration and its Israel ally fully responsible for the repercussions of their actions.
The Movement also slammed some Arab and European foreign ministers for attending the ceremony which Trump held to announce his plan to liquidate the Palestinian cause, describing their participation in such announcement as shameful.
“It was a shame that some Arab and European foreign ministers attended such announcement that aims to liquidate the Palestinian cause, provide cover for the Israeli-American aggression against Palestine, criminalize the Palestinian struggle and legitimize the Israeli terrorism,” Hamas said.
It stressed the need for an urgent national plan to confront the US plan through escalating all forms of struggle and resistance against the occupation and mobilizing the Muslim nation and the Palestinian people’s friends to strongly support the Palestinian cause.
Trump on Tuesday announced what he called a 80-page peace plan in the presence of Israeli premier Benjamin Netanyahu and diplomats from Israel and some European and Arab countries.
He gave himself the right to give away Jerusalem to the Israelis and decide the fate of the occupied Palestinian people and their future state.
“Jerusalem will remain Israel’s undivided capital. But that’s no big deal, because I’ve already done that for you, right?” Trump blatantly said, addressing the people who attended his announcement.
As Donald Trump faced day eight of his trial for abuse of power in the US Senate, he and Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu unveiled their ‘Deal of the Century’ in which Israel will essentially annex Palestine and push Palestinians into tiny reservations.
Protests immediately broke out in Gaza and the West Bank.
Under the Trump-Kushner plan, the Israeli military will continue to control the entire territory, Israel would annex the land in the West Bank it had settled illegally by military force, and Palestinians in Jerusalem would be further disenfranchised. No Palestinian leaders were consulted in the creation of this plan.
Netanyahu, who is himself facing charges of corruption, applauded the Trump-Kushner plan, which provides for Israel to take over stolen Palestinian land in direct violation of international law.
Thousands of Palestinians protested the plan, chanting “Not for sale”. The Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said that the Palestinian leadership rejects the plan.
Protests immediately broke out in Gaza and the West Bank.
Under the Trump-Kushner plan, the Israeli military will continue to control the entire territory, Israel would annex the land in the West Bank it had settled illegally by military force, and Palestinians in Jerusalem would be further disenfranchised. No Palestinian leaders were consulted in the creation of this plan.
Netanyahu, who is himself facing charges of corruption, applauded the Trump-Kushner plan, which provides for Israel to take over stolen Palestinian land in direct violation of international law.
Thousands of Palestinians protested the plan, chanting “Not for sale”. The Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said that the Palestinian leadership rejects the plan.
