The PA cautioned that although the Trump plan – which it called a
“conspiracy” – has “subsided, it still hasn’t gone away completely.”
By Khaled Abu Toameh
The Palestinian Authority claimed on Saturday that the Palestinians
have managed to “incapacitate” US President Donald Trump’s
yet-to-be-announced plan for peace in the Middle East, which has been
referred to as the “ultimate deal” or the “deal of the century.”
The PA repeated its charge that Trump’s unseen plan was aimed at
“liquidating” the Palestinian cause and national rights, and urged
Palestinians to rally behind PA president Mahmoud Abbas.
The PA cautioned that although the Trump plan – which it called a
“conspiracy” – has “subsided, it still hasn’t gone away completely.”
Palestinian sources said they believed the PA’s announcement referred to
“unsuccessful attempts” by the US administration to “bypass” the PA
leadership by establishing direct and indirect channels with some
Palestinian figures and parties, including Hamas.
On Friday, three senior Trump administration officials – Jared Kushner,
Jason Greenblatt and David Friedman – offered to help the Palestinians
in the Gaza Strip in return for an end to Hamas “aggression.” The offer
was made in an article the three top officials published in The
Washington Post.
Both the PA and Hamas see such offers as being part of Trump’s “deal of the century.”
The two rival parties claim the US administration is seeking to drive a
wedge between the Palestinians and divide them into two separate
entities – one in the West Bank and a second in the Gaza Strip.
The PA leadership has been boycotting the US administration since
Trump’s decision in December 2017 to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s
capital.
The sources also noted that the PA’s announcement hinted at the
“failure” of the Trump administration to convince key Arab countries to
publicly endorse the upcoming peace plan.
PA officials were recently quoted as saying the Arab countries supported
the Palestinian position, which is categorically opposed to Trump’s
“ultimate deal.” The officials denied that the Arab countries have been
exerting pressure on the Palestinians to accept Trump’s “deal of the
century.”
The PA is convinced that the Palestinians’ strong opposition to Trump’s
plan, as well as the reluctance of Arab countries such as Saudi Arabia,
Egypt and Jordan to publicly endorse it, have forced the US
administration to reconsider its strategy toward the Israeli-Palestinian
conflict and put its plan on hold.
Nabil Abu Rudaineh, spokesperson for the PA president’s office in
Ramallah, said in a statement that the “steadfastness of the Palestinian
people and their commitment to their leadership and their national
principles have resulted in the obstruction” of Trump’s plan.
Abu Rudaineh said that had Trump’s plan succeeded, it would have been
“transformed into a regional deal that would be harmful to all the
people and countries in the region.”
The region, he said, was now at a “crossroads to make decisions on
principled positions in a way that would harm the higher interests of
its people.”
Abu Rudaineh urged Palestinians to “rally behind the [Palestinian]
national option to prevent the deal of the century, which has subsided
but not ended, from becoming a regional deal, the repercussions of which
no-one can speculate.”
“The Palestinian leadership’s commitment to Palestinian and Arab options
and national positions has given hope to the people who are continuing
to suffer because of their failure to understand the truth about what is
being planned against them,” he added.
“The prevalent chaos and tension in the region are a natural result of
the failure to solve the Palestinian issue,” he said. “As long as
Jerusalem is burning, so will the Arab world.”
He urged Palestinians to “restore the national spirit to face surprises,
first and foremost the blatant US bias win favor of Israel.”
The PA spokesperson also lashed out at Israel and accused it of pursuing
its effort to “Judaize” Jerusalem and “intensify illegal settlements.”
Israel’s actions, he said, “require all Palestinians to stand behind
their president to face the liquidation projects and conspiracies.”
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