Palestinians to resist deal in all its forms, says Mahmoud Abbas

Donald Trump’s plan prompted a furious rebuke from Muslim countries who denounced it as betrayal of Palestinians.

‘Dustbin of history’: Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah on Wednesday. Picture: AFP

Donald Trump’s Middle East plan has prompted a lukewarm response from Europe and the UN, and a furious rebuke from Muslim countries who denounced it as betrayal of Palestinians.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, who has taken part in previous US-led peace talks with Israel but has distanced himself from Mr Trump’s proposal, vowed that “this conspiracy deal will not pass”. He pledged to “resist the deal in all its forms” after meeting with Palestinian factions in ­Ramallah. “Our people will take it to the dustbin of history.”

Top EU diplomat Josep Borrell said the bloc would “study and ­assess” Mr Trump’s proposals on the basis of its commitment to a “negotiated and viable two-state solution that takes into account the legitimate aspirations of both the Palestinians and the Israelis”.

Germany, the EU’s most powerful player, echoed Mr Borrell’s point by calling for a balanced approach. “Only a negotiated two-state solution, ­acceptable to both sides, can lead to a lasting peace between Israelis and Palestinians,” Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said.

Britain, which has long had a special relationship with Washington, gave the warmest reaction. “This is clearly a serious proposal, reflecting extensive time and effort,” Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said.

The UN said it remained committed to a two-state solution based on the borders in place before the 1967 war, when Israel seized the West Bank and Gaza.

Russia said it would study the plan and called on Israelis and Palestinians to negotiate directly to find a “mutually acceptable compromise”. Introducing a note of doubt, Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov said: “We do not know if the American proposal is mutually acceptable or not. We must wait for the reaction of the parties.”

Turkey, a strong advocate of the Palestinian cause, condemned the plan. “The United States’ so-called peace plan is stillborn,” its foreign ministry said. “This is an annexation plan aimed at killing a two-state solution and extorting the Palestinian territory.”

Iran, which does not recognise Israel and has been in a confrontation with the Trump administration, denounced the plan as a threat to regional stability. “The shameful peace plan imposed by America on the Palestinians is the treason of the century and doomed to fail”, the Iranian foreign ministry said.

Lebanon’s Iranian-backed movement Hezbollah said the plan represented an attempt to “wipe out the Palestinian people’s rights”, adding that the “shameful move … could not have been made without the complicity and ­betrayal of a certain number of Arab regimes”.

The United Arab Emirates, which sent its ambassador to Mr Trump’s announcement despite not recognising the Jewish state, praised the plan. “The plan announced today offers an important starting point for a return to negotiations within a US-led international framework,” its embassy in Washington tweeted.

Egypt called on “the two concerned parties to undertake a careful and thorough examination of the US vision to achieve peace and open channels of dialogue”.

Jordan’s foreign ministry said that an independent Palestinian state based on pre-1967 borders was “the only path to a comprehensive and lasting peace”.

AFP