Palestinians reject Trump’s plan

Palestinians have dismissed US President Donald Trump’s new Middle East peace plan as a conspiracy, as it envisages a Palestinian state and recognition of Israeli sovereignty over settlements in the occupied West Bank. Reacting to Tuesday’s announcement, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said Jerusalem was not for sale. He, however, mocked what Trump has called the “deal of the century,” describing it as the “slap of the century.” Palestinians had earlier refused to deal with the Trump administration as a protest on moving the US Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. A few Arab countries consider Trump’s plan as an important starting point for a return to negotiations, not realizing that the US and Israel have shown utter disregard to the agreements reached in the past, and that this plan envisages a very small portion of land for Palestine.
Every US administration protected, sustained, armed and financed the Israeli state, which is why the issue remained unresolved for 72 years. On 14th May 1948, the UN, the successor to the League of Nations, implemented the 1947 UN Partition Plan and established the state of Israel. With backing of the West, Israel continued usurping the Palestinian land, and balked at UN resolutions giving the Palestinians the right to have an independent state. In July 2004, after 37 years of 1967 war an international court had declared the occupation of Palestinian lands by Israel as illegal. International Court of Justice in its judgment had declared the West Bank barrier built by Israel as illegal, and Israel was under an obligation to cease forthwith the construction of wall built in the occupied Palestinian territory including in and around Jerusalem, and to demolish the raised structures.
With backing of the US and the West, Israel continued usurping the Palestinian land, and baulked at UN resolutions that gave the Palestinians the right to have an independent state. During last 50 years, a number of so-called initiatives for peace have been taken in the context of Security Council Resolution 242, but none has succeeded. Palestinian problem continues to defy any solution, primarily due to intransigence of Israel resulting from unqualified support by US. The Palestinian tragedy has been further compounded with the treachery of Arabs, duplicity and silence of International Community and in no small measure due to their incompetent leadership, which preferred rhetoric to reality and indulged in romantic belief that the justice of their cause would eventually prevail. The Palestinians want an independent state in the West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem – areas Israel captured in 1967.
Muslims throughout the world expressed concern over Israeli brutalities, but due to internal conflicts and sectarian divide they could not forcefully raise their voice against cruel and brutal killings of innocent men, women and children in Gaza. Such indifference and apathy of Umma encourage the anti-Muslim forces to resort to their violent acts of terrorism. Despite various UN resolutions and accords including Oslo Accord for which America was a guarantor, there seems to be not end in sight to the atrocities perpetrated on the Palestinians. President Obama’s statement that Israel had the right to defend was reflective of the fact that he could not distinguish between the aggressor and the victims of aggression. In fact, Israel wants to evict Palestinians from Gaza and the West Bank so that it can merge those territories in Israel. But such a move is fraught with extreme dangers.