Palestinians' Abbas, at UN, says U.S. offers Palestinians 'Swiss cheese' state

[webfact]

Palestinians' Abbas, at UN, says U.S. offers Palestinians 'Swiss cheese' state

By Steve Holland and Arshad Mohammed

 

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas speaks during a Security Council meeting at the United Nations in New York, U.S., February 11, 2020.

 

(Reuters) - Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, appearing before the United Nations Security Council, angrily rejected U.S. President Donald Trump's Middle East peace proposal on Tuesday as a gift to Israel and unacceptable to Palestinians.

 

Waving a copy of a map that the U.S. plan envisions for a two-state solution for Israel and Palestine, Abbas said the state carved out for Palestinians looked like a fragmented "Swiss cheese."

 

In a potential rebuke to the Trump plan, a draft U.N. Security Council resolution being circulated to council members by Tunisia and Indonesia would condemn an Israeli plan to annex its settlements in the West Bank.

 

If put to a vote, the text would face a certain U.S. veto but nonetheless reflected some members' dim view of the peace plan that Trump rolled out two weeks ago with great fanfare.

 

Released on Jan. 28, Trump's plan would recognize Israel’s authority over West Bank Jewish settlements and require Palestinians meet a difficult series of conditions for a state, with its capital in a West Bank village east of Jerusalem.

 

"This is the state that they will give us," said Abbas. "It's like a Swiss cheese, really. Who among you will accept a similar state and similar conditions?"

 

Speaking at an election rally in the Israeli town of Bat Yam, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected the criticism and hinted at the possibility that Arab states might entertain the Trump plan even if Palestinians do not.

 

"This is not Swiss cheese. This is the best plan that exists for the Middle East – for the Middle East – and for the State of Israel and for the Palestinians, too," he said, adding that the plan "recognizes reality and the rights of the people of Israel, both of which you constantly refuse to recognize."

 

Abbas urged Trump to disavow the plan and seek a return to negotiations based on existing U.N. resolutions that call for a two-state solution based on pre-1967 border lines. He rejected traditional U.S. mediation in resolving the conflict and called for an international conference.

 

"The U.S. cannot be the sole mediator," he said.

 

Suggesting violent protests could break out, Abbas said "the situation could implode at any moment. ... We need hope. Please do not take this hope away from us." He later said Palestinians would not "resort to terrorism."

 

Although Trump's stated aim was to end decades of conflict, his plan favored Israel, underlined by the Palestinians' absence from his White House announcement with Netanyahu at his side.

 

While Arab League foreign ministers on Feb. 1 rejected the plan, three Gulf Arab states - Oman, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates - were represented at the White House announcement, suggesting that they may be prioritizing ties with the United States and a shared hostility towards Iran over traditional Arab alliances.

 

Abbas said the deal is not an international partnership but rather a proposal from one state supported by another state to be imposed on Palestinians.

 

Israel's ambassador to the United Nations, Danny Danon, accused Abbas of being unrealistic and said peace was not possible while he remained in power.

 

A Feb. 5-8 poll conducted in the West Bank and Gaza Strip by the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research found that 94% of Palestinians reject the plan, which Trump has called the "Deal of the Century."

 

(Reporting by Steve Holland and Arshad Mohammed; editing by Jonathan Oatis and Howard Goller)

 

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2020-02-12

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[IAMHERE]

I do see why the Palestanians like their first peace offering to Isreal better; die die die all of you die. Times have changed since 1947.

[Orton Rd]

The UN did offer them 50% of the area for their own country after world war 2, the dummies rejected it and they turned down a whopping 80% offer by the Brits in the 30's. The only offer they will ever except is 100% and the destruction of Israel. They are NOT and never have been serious about a 2 state solution.

[Srikcir]

10 hours ago, webfact said:

recognizes reality and the rights of the people of Israel

Albeit the "people of Israel" doesn't include Palestinians:

• There are currently more than 65 Israeli laws that discriminate against Palestinian citizens in Israel and Palestinian residents of the Occupied Palestinian Territories, according to Adalah, The Legal Center for Arab Minority Rights in Israel. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2018/07/ways-israeli-law-discriminates-palestinians-180719120357886.html

Which summarizes Trump's peace plan.

[puipuitom]

4 hours ago, Srikcir said:

Albeit the "people of Israel" doesn't include Palestinians:

• There are currently more than 65 Israeli laws that discriminate against Palestinian citizens in Israel and Palestinian residents of the Occupied Palestinian Territories, according to Adalah, The Legal Center for Arab Minority Rights in Israel. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2018/07/ways-israeli-law-discriminates-palestinians-180719120357886.html

Which summarizes Trump's peace plan.

And how many Arab countries discriminate Jews and other non-muislism , already since 635 ?

Why Arabs living in Israel, and Isreli citizen do NOT want to live in Palestine ?

https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/15516/arab-israelis-peace-plan

The main reason Arabs in Israel are afraid of becoming Palestinian citizens is because they know that the Palestinian state will be anything but democratic. Many Arab citizens of Israel see how Palestinians living under the Palestinian Authority (PA) in the West Bank and Hamas in the Gaza Strip are subject to human rights violations on a daily basis.

[puipuitom]

5 hours ago, rhyddid said:

Anyone with a bit of common sense will never accept such "extermination and genocide plan"

It's a plan to stir up protests , violence and will scatter bloody fight where the Zionist Israelis Army will find an excuse to exterminate more Palestinians.

There will never be peace in the middle east, there will never be peace in Palestine as long Israelis people will rise us against the right wing Zionist who are at the same level of the German Nazi, both wanted to exterminate a populations.

Shame on Trump acting as a puppet on Zionist full control.

In 1969 I travelled from Banjas via the West Bank to Eilat. Was with Israëli's at an Palestine wedding and with Palestinians on a Jewish wedding. I joined an Israeli veterinarian to a Palestinian donkey in labour: lasted more than 24 h extra to return as the Palestinians wanted to show their gratitude. In 1986 I travelled as buyer through the entire area. Hundreds of thousands Palestinians worked in Israel, many Israeli’s in Palestine. But… the terrorists like Hamas wanted to KILL, KILL and KILL. No wonder the Israeli’s kicked out all Palestinians and replaced them by Philippino’s Vietnamese and even Thai. No wonder, the Israeli army defends its nationals… inclusive 1,89 million Arabs living in Israel.   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demographics_of_Israel 

Edited February 12, 2020 by puipuitom

[candide]

3 hours ago, puipuitom said:

And how many Arab countries discriminate Jews and other non-muislism , already since 635 ?

Why Arabs living in Israel, and Isreli citizen do NOT want to live in Palestine ?

https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/15516/arab-israelis-peace-plan

The main reason Arabs in Israel are afraid of becoming Palestinian citizens is because they know that the Palestinian state will be anything but democratic. Many Arab citizens of Israel see how Palestinians living under the Palestinian Authority (PA) in the West Bank and Hamas in the Gaza Strip are subject to human rights violations on a daily basis.

Maybe it has to do with the fact that they were born there, just like their parents, grand-parents, etc... And they don't see any reason why they should move elsewhere.

[puipuitom]

6 hours ago, candide said:

Maybe it has to do with the fact that they were born there, just like their parents, grand-parents, etc... And they don't see any reason why they should move elsewhere.

That's why so many jews left the countries their ancesters lived more than two millenia: from Iran, Iraq, Syria, Egypt, Morocco, North-Yemen... leaving all possessions behind and no support from UNWRA