Palestinian Authority Chief Mahmoud Abbas lashed out at US President Donald’s Trump’s so-called ‘peace efforts’ as the “slap of the century”, at a key meeting Sunday on the White House’s declaration of Al-Quds (Jerusalem) as Israeli capital.
In a wide-ranging two-hour speech, Abbas reiterated he would not accept the Trump administration as a mediator in peace talks with the Zionist entity and called for an internationally-led process.
He also accused Tel Aviv through its actions of ending the 1994 Oslo peace accords that form the basis of Palestinian ties with the Zionist regime, saying the Palestinians would study all strategies for responding to it.
Beyond that, Abbas attacked the US ambassadors to Israel and the United Nations, David Friedman and Nikki Haley, calling them a “disgrace”.
Both Trump appointees have been strong supporters of Israel, with Friedman having backed Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank.
“We said ‘no’ to Trump, ‘we will not accept your project’,” the Palestinian president said.
“The deal of the century is the slap of the century and we will not accept it,” he added, referring to Trump’s pledge to reach the “ultimate deal” — Israeli-Palestinian peace.
The meeting in Ramallah of the Palestinian Central Council — a high-ranking arm of the Palestine Liberation Organization — was called in the wake of Trump’s December 6 recognition of Al-Quds as Israeli capital.
In the buildup to the Central Council meeting on Sunday and Monday, Palestinian officials had stressed that all options were on the table for responding to Trump.
“I am saying that Oslo, there is no Oslo. Israel ended Oslo,” Abbas said, referring to persistent Israeli settlement building and other issues seen as eroding the possibility of a two-state solution to the conflict.
The 121-member council will meet Monday to discuss strategy for responding to Trump’s announcement, but Abbas offered few concrete policy proposals.
Source: Agencies
