Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas denounced President Trump’s proposed peace plan between Israel and Palestinians.
Abbas called for resistance to the plan, which Trump dubbed the “Deal of the Century.” The deal calls for a Palestinian state with its capital in east Jerusalem in return for the recognition of major Israeli settlements.
“After the nonsense that we heard today, we say a thousand noes to the Deal of the Century,” Abbas said at a press conference on Tuesday. “We will not kneel, and we will not surrender.”
He said that Palestinian resistance will be through “peaceful, popular means.”
The plan proposes a two-state solution and includes a settlement freeze by Israel for a four-year period. The deal also includes a tunnel connecting the West Bank to Gaza. In order for statehood to come to fruition, Palestinians would have to meet multiple benchmarks, which include combating terrorism.
The plan would also allow Israel to maintain sovereignty over much the Jordan Valley, a portion of which is in the West Bank.
Hamas, the radical Islamist group controlling Gaza, also rejected the proposal. Khalil al Hayya, a senior official with the terrorist group, said that “all options are open” when responding to the plan.
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“We are certain that our Palestinian people will not let these conspiracies pass. So, all options are open. The [Israeli] occupation and the U.S. administration will bear the responsibility for what they did,” al Hayya said.
Protesters in Gaza burned pictures of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Trump and chanted in the streets prior to the announcement of the proposal, and Abbas convened an emergency meeting with other Palestinian factions.
