The Palestinian foreign minister dismissed the proposed plan by the U.S. to end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, saying that the Trump administration is crafting a surrender document, not a peace plan, and the Palestinians will not accept it regardless of how much money is offered.
"This is not a peace plan but rather conditions for surrender," Riyad al-Maliki said on Thursday at an informal U.N. Security Council meeting. "And there is no amount of money that can make it acceptable." "Some ask us, ‘what if they surprise you;' we tell them we would have been more hopeful had they not been deaf to our appeals, blind to Israeli violations and mute, at best, on the fundamentals of peace, when not actively undermining them," he added.
The Trump administration's Middle East plan is expected to be announced next month; however, an Israeli newspaper earlier this week published an outline of the Middle East "Deal of the Century," which is expected to be signed between the Israeli and Palestinian sides with the mediation of the U.S., showing that a "New Palestine" will be established that would be politically reshaped as demanded. The claims in the daily Israel Hayom have not been confirmed by Israeli, American or Palestinian officials. However, it is likely that Jared Kushner, a senior adviser to Trump, and his team have already drafted their offer.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas had denounced Trump's peace efforts last year as the "slap of the century" as the U.S. recognition of contested Jerusalem as Israel's capital, along with the cancellation of hundreds of millions of dollars in American aid to the Palestinians, have prompted the Palestinians to cut off ties with the White House.
Palestinian officials have ruled out a role for the U.S. in peace talks after the Trump administration unilaterally recognized Jerusalem as Israel's capital, upending long-established understandings that underpin negotiations to end the conflict and establish a Palestinian state side-by-side with Israel. The Palestinians want a state in the West Bank, east Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip, all territory
captured by Israel in 1967. "When the U.S., prior to announcing its plan, recognizes Jerusalem as the so-called ‘capital of Israel' and claims they are entitled to take such a sovereign decision that is in blatant violation of international law and U.N. Security Council resolutions and pretend it has no implications on peace, it is not possible to have faith in such efforts," al-Maliki said.
