The Palestinian Authority wants the Arab plan on Israeli-Palestinian peace to be revisited during an upcoming emergency meeting of the UN Security Council and other international organizations due to unacceptability of the US-proposed plan, Palestinian ambassador to France Salman Harfi told Sputnik on Friday
ST. PETERSBURG (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 31st January, 2020) The Palestinian Authority wants the Arab plan on Israeli-Palestinian peace to be revisited during an upcoming emergency meeting of the UN Security Council and other international organizations due to unacceptability of the US-proposed plan, Palestinian ambassador to France Salman Harfi told Sputnik on Friday.
US President Donald Trump introduced the plan on Tuesday during a joint press conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. At the core of the solution is the legitimization of Israel's sovereignty over settlements in the West Bank and Jordan Valley with Jerusalem as its undivided capital, while the Palestinians would get a recognized sovereign state and $50 billion in economic assistance.
Palestine has called for a series of meetings of Arab and Islamic organizations to address the matter. The UNSC meeting is expected to be held on February 11. Palestine has also requested emergency meetings the Arab League's Council meeting, coming up on Saturday, the Non-Aligned Movement and the Islamic Cooperation Organization.
"Arab states ... have already declared their position. We are going to meet and we are going to confirm it. We are planning to revisit the Arab peace plan which was accepted by the UN and the international community," Harfi said.
The diplomat alleged that Trump "borrowed" all his ideas from Netanyahu, describing the US plan as a "Swiss cheese plan" where all the cheese goes to Israel while the Palestinians are left with holes. In a strong condemnation of the move, Harfi amounted it to an attempt to erase the Palestinians' self-determination and deprive them of the right to establish their independent state within internationally agreed borders.
"We reject this plan and whatever is written inside because it is written by the Israelis and Mr. Netanyahu. Mr.Trump is just the spokesman. This will never be accepted by the Palestinians because our independence and our land are not for sale. This plan offer to establish an even worse regime than the former apartheid regime in South Africa," Harfi said.
Jerusalem, which was occupied by Israel in the course of the Six-Day War in 1967, is currently a non-negotiable item for the Palestinians along with occupied territories in the West Bank and Jordan River Valley where Israel has been building its settlements. The Israeli government, in turn, has refused to recognize Palestine as a sovereign state and deems the expansion of its settlements legitimate, despite objections from the United Nations.
The situation worsened in May 2018 after the United States relocated its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem and recognized the holy city as Israel's capital. Trump's current plan suggests allotting Palestine other areas in eastern Jerusalem to establish a capital where the US would then open its embassy. It also envisions Israel ending its building of new settlements in the disputed areas.
