Palestinians reiterate rejection of US ‘deal of the century’

AhlulBayt News Agency (ABNA): Palestinian factions have reiterated their rejection of the controversial US plan on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict which is expected to be unveiled by President Donald Trump this week, calling for a “day of rage.”

Palestinian Authority spokesman Nabil Abu Rudeineh stressed that the Palestinians would not allow the plan, which Trump calls the “deal of the century” to pass.

“The Palestinian leadership, with the support of our people, will defeat attempts to liquidate the Palestinian cause,” Abu Rudeineh said Sunday.

“The leadership will hold a series of meetings on all levels — including the factions and organizations — to announce its total rejection of conceding al-Quds,” he added.

The spokesman also called on the Arab world to support the Palestinian stance, warning that Trump’s plan would trigger turmoil in the region.

A Palestinian official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Monday that Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas had rejected repeated requests from Trump to talk to him on the phone.

Ismail Haniyeh, the political leader of the Hamas resistance movement, also stressed that the deal is doomed to fail, warning of a “"new phase” in the Palestinian struggle against the occupying regime.

"We firmly declare that the 'deal of the century' will not pass. The new plot aimed against Palestine is bound to fail," and could lead the Palestinians to a "new phase in their struggle" against Israel, Haniyeh said in a statement on Sunday.

Haniyeh also called for a meeting in the Egyptian capital with other Palestinian factions, including the Fatah movement, in order to form a common response to Trump's plan.

Palestinian factions on Sunday called for a “day of rage” in response to the controversial plan.

Trump is expected to host Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his main political rival Benny Gantz at the White House on January 28 to unveil the so-called deal of the century.

Even though the full plan has not been released, Israeli media outlets have described it as a deal that meets nearly all of Tel Aviv’s demands in exchange for the possibility of recognizing a Palestinian state someday.

According to the English-language online newspaper Times of Israel, the deal drastically undermines Palestinian hopes for restoring land.

Palestinian factions, in a statement signed by the National and Islamic Forces in Ramallah and El-Bireh, said the day Trump’s plan is announced should be declared as a “day of popular rage.”

They have also called for a boycott of American goods.

The Palestinian Authority has warned that Trump’s deal would ignite mass protests in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

Officials have also hinted that the Palestinian leadership may quit all agreements signed with Israel and suspend "security coordination" between the Palestinians and Israel in the West Bank.

Secretary General of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) Saeb Erekat said Sunday that the Palestinians would withdraw from key provisions of the Oslo Accords in case Trump unveiled his initiative.

The initiative, he said, would turn Israel's “temporary occupation (of Palestinian territories) into a permanent occupation.”

The Palestinian Foreign Ministry described the US plan as “the plot of the century,” stressing that it aims to “liquidate the Palestinian cause.”

Foreign Minister Riyad al-Malki said the Palestinians were discussing “practical steps with the Arab brothers” to respond to the US plan.

The planned release has met unease in the Arab world, with Jordan’s King Abdullah II reiterating his opposition to the deal.

“Our position regarding the plan is very clear: we are opposed to it,” Abdullah said during a conference in the southern Jordanian city of Aqaba on Sunday.

Jordan and Egypt are the only two Arab states that have diplomatic ties with Israel.

Amman is vexed at Netanyahu's repeated threats to annex the Jordan Valley.

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