Leaders and governments around the world reacted to US President Donald Trump’s announcement on Tuesday of his long-awaited Middle East plan, dubbed ‘Deal of the Century’.
Palestine: ‘Dustbin of History’
The Palestinian leadership, which cut its diplomatic ties with Washington following Trump’s unilateral recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital in December 2017, immediately rejected the plan.
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas said that the so-called Deal of the Century “belongs to the dustbin of history”, Al Jazeera reported.
Palestine: Protest in Jordan Valley Over Trump's 'Deal of the Century'#No4DealOfCentury ???#Palestine #FreePalestine #Jerusalem pic.twitter.com/bBETOvKxvG
— Women For Palestine (@WomenForPal) January 29, 2020
Abbas also called on all Palestinian political groups to meet in order to discuss the American announcement, obtaining an immediate positive response from the Islamic Jihad and Hamas movements.
Meanwhile, tens of thousands of Palestinians took to the streets to protest Trump’s proposal.
Turkey: ‘Never Acceptable’
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Wednesday that Trump’s plan for peace in the Middle East is “never acceptable.”
Erdogan declared that Trump’s plan ignores Palestinians’ rights and attempts to legitimize the Isreali occupation, Anadolu news agency reported.
Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has blasted a plan for resolving the Arab-Israeli conflict presented by Donald Trump, saying the proposal is a blatant attempt to ‘legitimize Israel’s occupation’ of Palestinian territories. / RT
#Palestine #Deal_of_the_Century pic.twitter.com/quZDNim22p
— Vision Plus (@vplusen) January 29, 2020
“Jerusalem is sacred for Muslims and Trump’s so-called peace plan proposing to leave Jerusalem to Israel is never acceptable,” Erdogan said.
Iran: ‘Treason of the Century’
Iranian officials described Trump’s plan as a “plan of imposition and sanctions”.
Iran’s foreign ministry said in a statement: “The shameful peace plan imposed by America on the Palestinians is the treason of the century and doomed to fail.”
Hezbollah: ‘Deal of Shame’
The Lebanese Resistance group Hezbollah, on the other hand, rejected the latest American initiative, describing it as a ‘Deal of Shame’.
Iran has censured US President Donald Trump's so-called "Deal of the century" on the decades-old Israeli-Palestinian conflict, describing it as "treason of the century." pic.twitter.com/xz9mGGTKCo
— Syed Shahbaz (@SayedShahbaz3) January 29, 2020
A Jordanian Warning
The Jordanian government rejected what it described as “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.”
Egypt Welcomes US Efforts
Egypt, meanwhile, welcomed the US administration’s efforts to try to resolve the ‘conflict’.
Saudi Assurances
Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz al Saud reportedly called the Palestinian President, Wednesday, to reiterate that the position of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia regarding the rights of the Palestinian people remains unchanged.
Abbas has reportedly also received a message of solidarity from his Lebanese counterpart Michel Aoun.
“We are with you and support any position that you might take to defend your rights,” Aoun told Abbas, reported the Palestinian News agency WAFA.
Protests
The General Federation of Arab Journalists strongly condemned the American proposal, calling on Arab governments to unite against US-Israeli attempts aimed at canceling out Palestinian rights.
Protestors in front of the US embassy in Amman, Jordan protest the Deal of the Century. So far, more security officers than protestors. Let’s hope it stays this way. pic.twitter.com/dikL45fuvK
— Mike (@Doranimated) January 28, 2020
Meanwhile, dozens of protesters gathered outside the US embassy in Amman, shouting slogans against normalization.
US Democrats: ‘Shameful and Disingenuous’
Democratic members of the US Congress denounced Trump’s initiative which cements Israel’s long-standing policy of permanent occupation and apartheid in Palestine.
US Congresswoman Ilhan Omar slammed US President Donald Trump’s “#Deal of the century” as “#Shameful and #Disingenuous” yesterday.
After the #Deal was announced in Washington in the presence of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu with no P …
https://t.co/YM5W7iY8v2 pic.twitter.com/MCxo3OKeKd— ???????⓵ⒷⓊⓋ??????? (@_1BUV) January 29, 2020
Senator and Democratic candidate, Bernie Sanders, said that “any acceptable peace deal must be consistent with international law and multiple UN Security Council resolutions.”
UK: A ‘Positive Step’
A spokesperson for British Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s office said the plan could be “a positive step forward”.
UN: Committed to Two-State Solution
The spokesperson for the United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, Stephane Dujarric, said that the UN remains committed to “the vision of two States – Israel and Palestine – living side by side in peace and security within recognized borders, on the basis of the pre-1967 lines.”
(The Palestine Chronicle)
