Palestine Submits Counter-Proposal Trump’s Peace Plan

Ramallah, MINA – Palestinian officials step up diplomatic efforts in the latest effort to stop Israeli annexation of the Palestinian territories.

Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh told reporters on Tuesday that offers of political retaliation had been submitted to mediating groups in the conflict, which consisted of the United Nations, the United States, Russia, and the European Union.

“We submitted a counter-proposal to the Quartet (middle group) a few days ago,” said Shtayyeh as quoted from Daily Sabah on Wednesday.

He said his party proposed the establishment of a “sovereign, independent and demilitarized Palestinian state” with “minor modifications to the border if needed.”

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Announced at the end of January in Washington, US President Donald Trump’s peace plan gave Israel an annexation of its settlement and the Jordan Valley in the occupied West Bank.

Palestine has rejected the plan as a whole, which also provides for the establishment of a Palestinian state but in a reduced region and without East Jerusalem as its capital.

In recent days, demonstrations against annexation have multiplied in the West Bank and also in Israel.

“Anger is there, dissatisfaction is there, frustration is there and all of that is causing more problems,” Shtayyeh said.

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An Israeli poll last week also showed that most Israelis worried that the annexation would trigger a Palestinian uprising.

The latest Palestinian uprising, known as the Second Intifada, erupted in the early 2000s and included a wave of suicide bombings and Israel’s deadly response.

More than 450,000 Israelis live in illegal settlements according to international law in the occupied West Bank, which is home to 2.7 million Palestinians.

Analysts say that Netanyahu has a narrow chance to move forward with the annexation, before the US presidential election in November because it could make his close ally Trump fail to be re-elected for the second time as President. (T/RE1)

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Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)