Russia doubts the feasibility of the Middle East peace plan presented by US President Donald Trump. „We are seeing the reaction of the Palestinians,“ President Dmitry Peskov said today, according to several Russian news agencies.
„We also see the reaction of the many Arab states, which, together with the Palestinians, are opposed to the plan.“ He also contradicted several United Nations resolutions.
Palestinians threaten to break off all relations
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas had cut ties with Israel and the United States the day before in response to Trump’s plan. This also affects security issues, said Abbas at a special Arab League meeting in Cairo. The Arab League rejected the plan on the grounds that it would not lead to a full and just peace agreement.
Trump’s proposal provides for the creation of a demilitarized Palestinian state. It would not include the territory of the internationally unrecognized Jewish settlements in the occupied territory. He was under almost complete security control by Israel. The United States would also recognize the Jewish settlements in the Palestinian West Bank as Israeli territory and Jerusalem as the undivided capital of Israel.
The Arab League, like Abbas, has rejected the plan. It reaffirmed the right of the Palestinians to a state of their own, even in the area that Israel occupied in the 1967 Middle East war. In addition, the Palestinians would have to preserve East Jerusalem as the capital, the league’s final statement said.
Attacks from Gaza and counter-attacks by Israel again
The conflict between Israel and Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip continues to heat up. After further attacks with projectiles and explosive balloons from the Palestinian Territory, Israeli fighter jets again fired at several targets in the north of the coast, the military said today.
Previously, militant Palestinians had fired a missile at Israel while ex-military chief Benny Ganz from the Blue and White Center Alliance visited the border area. The situation only worsens a month before the next parliamentary election in Israel. Israeli television reported that Israel’s army is preparing for a possible major escalation.
The attacks from the Gaza Strip and Israel’s counterattacks have been going on for days. Israel responded by stopping cement imports in the coastal strip and suspending entry permits for 500 Gaza businessmen until further notice, Israeli media reported.
