Several Arab countries reportedly agreed to participate in a summit, while Abbas dismissed it as a ploy by the US to force its “ambiguous” peace plan on the Palestinians.
By: Daniel Siryoti/Israel Hayom via JNS and United with Israel Staff
Palestinian Authority (PA) head Mahmoud Abbas has rejected an invitation by senior White House adviser Jared Kushner to participate in a peace summit let by moderate Arab states, the London-based Arabic newspaper Al-Hayat reported this weekend.
Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan and the United Arab Emirates have reportedly agreed to participate in the summit that, according to the report, has been deemed by the Palestinian Authority as an American ploy to drag them into what US President Donald Trump has dubbed ”the deal of the century.”
Arab and Western diplomats have reportedly relayed the Palestinians’ concerns over the “ambiguous” US plan, which, according to reports, outlines the establishment of an independent Palestinian state in the Gaza Strip and parts of Judea and Samaria without defining clear borders, without recognizing east Jerusalem as the Palestinian capital, without providing a solution for Palestinian refugees and failing to resolve the issue of Israeli settlements.
According to the report, the Palestinians are concerned about the support that the moderate Arab countries appear to be displaying for this plan.
During his visit to the Middle East last week Kushner told the Palestinian daily Al-Quds newspaper that the United States will not chase the Palestinian Authority leadership or grovel before Abbas, appealing directly to the Palestinian people in the face of Abbas’ rejectionism. Kushner made it clear, however, that Washington is more than willing to work with Ramallah on the peace plan.
The Palestinian people “deserve to have a bright future” and they should not let their leadership “reject a plan they haven’t even seen,” Kushner said.
Relating to the pending Us peace plan, Abbas spokesman Nabil Abu Rudeinehsaid on last week that “American ideas or deals that bypass the Palestinian leadership’s position on Jerusalem, statehood and refugees will only lead to a dead end.”
Abbas has repeatedly rejected Washington’s role in the peace process since the Trump Administration’s recognition of Jerusalem as the Israeli capital and the Palestinians have effectively been boycotting Washington.