The Palestinian Authority (PA) probably did not expect such a substantive affront to the Trump plan for the Middle East when it was unveiled Tuesday, January 28 in Washington. Nor is there such condescension on form, expressed by the American president and then supported by his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, one of the architects of the peace proposal. He believed on CNN that by rejecting this " deal " the Palestinians "Would miss another opportunity, as they missed all the opportunities they have ever had in their lives."
The PA has cut contact with the US administration since it recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel in December 2017. As of Monday, President Mahmoud Abbas had refused a phone call from Donald Trump. Will he open the letter that the President sent him? Trump urges him to grasp what may be " the last " chance for Palestinians to achieve an independent state. For Abbas, this offer is only a machine to undermine the legitimacy of the national cause and to cement the Israeli occupation.
"Jerusalem is not for sale"
"After hearing these nonsense", Mahmoud Abbas, 84, just said no, "A thousand times no", with an emphasis where exhaustion fought him with exasperation. He reiterated that "Jerusalem is not for sale. Our rights are not for sale ”, surrounded by representatives of Palestinian factions, including the Islamic Jihad, a radical armed group from Gaza. This is the first result of the American-Israeli announcement, which brings together the enemy’s brothers of the PA and Hamas, in power in Gaza.
Abbas announced immediate but vague measures, including changing part of the Palestinian Authority’s prerogatives. His entourage had agitated in recent days the threat of a reduction in security cooperation with Israel, or even a dissolution of the PA, which would leave Israel responsible for assuming sole security control in the West Bank, as before the agreements of Oslo, signed in 1993. This threat is not new, but nothing has been specified.
On Tuesday evening, protesters clashed with Israeli forces in the outskirts of Ramallah, near the settlement of Beit El. At least 13 people were injured. The factions called for protests on Wednesday. Hamas had previously signaled the resumption of the Marches back to the border of the Gaza enclave, dormant in favor of a truce negotiated indirectly with Israel, which had widened the ditch with Ramallah.
