23 May 2018•Update: 23 May 2018
RAMALLAH
The Palestinian Authority (PA) has said that the so-called “Deal of the Century” -- a backchannel U.S. Middle East peace plan -- will be “doomed to failure without full Palestinian support”.
“Peacemaking doesn’t require deals or ideas, but a genuine belief in peace as a way to end conflict,” PA spokesman Nabil Abu Rudeina said in a Wednesday statement.
Peace, he said, can only be achieved through “a just and comprehensive settlement based on past UN resolutions calling for an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital”.
“This must be the beginning and end of any peace plan,” Abu Rudeina said.
He added: “Any attempt to circumvent the Palestinian position in this regard, whether through Palestinian parties or regional actors, will only lead to greater tension in the region and world.”
According to Israeli media reports, U.S. President Donald Trump has promised to unveil details of his “Deal of the Century" sometime next month.
Last week, the U.S. officially relocated its Israel embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, effectively recognizing the latter city as Israel’s capital.
The shift in longstanding U.S. policy on Jerusalem has sparked angry demonstrations in the occupied Palestinian territories and in several Muslim countries.
Jerusalem remains at the heart of the Middle East conflict, with Palestinians hoping that East Jerusalem -- occupied by Israel since 1967 -- might eventually serve as the capital of a Palestinian state.
