THE Palestinians will never forget Jan 29. It was on this Wednesday that American President Donald Trump carved out more of Israel from Palestinian land. Again. Without any consultation with the Palestinians.
Trump claims to have consulted some Arab leaders, but Middle East media makes nonsense of this claim. We know too much of Trump to know who is lying. The deal is a gift for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who, like Trump, is facing an uncertain future.
The former faces bribery charges and the latter impeachment. Just as Jerusalem was a gift given earlier. Designed and delivered by Trump’s Jewish son-in-law, Jared Kushner. With lots of help from American evangelists.
Now we know, this and what happened before in the much- troubled land of Palestine, are part of the grand design of Zionist forces to create a greater Israel — Eretz Yisrael.
“The Jewish state stretches from the Brook of Egypt to the Euphrates”, as the father of Zionism, Theodore Herzl, put it. With Trump, the Zionist Plan for the Middle East has become American Middle East foreign policy writ large.
Little wonder he continues to support and encourage illegal Israeli settlements. The Balkanisation of the Middle East that began with the British is being pursued with vengeance by the Netanyahu-Trump combo.
Today, Trump has given the Zionists the land of the Arabs, map and all.
Trump’s “gift” is no surprise. Evangelists who have been speaking to the media have long been saying that Trump’s “Deal of the Century” is one step among many that the president has been disclosing all along. First, US’s recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. Second, the relocation of the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. Third, US’s recognition of Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights.
Fourthly, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s recent announcement that America no longer views Israeli settlements as illegal.
Trump’s “Deal of the Century” is no peace plan. The Palestinians have made it very clear that peace is only possible if Israel fully withdraws from the occupied West Bank, Gaza Strip and East Jerusalem that it has been occupying since the 1967 war. Without the territories, the Palestinians cannot have their independent state.
By giving Israel everything it desires and none to the Palestinians, Trump is putting an end to a two-state solution. And an end to a chance of any peace in the region.
The world community, especially the Muslim world, must speak with one voice against this unilateral move by Trump.
Many US leaders, even Israeli leaders, too, have in the past reached agreement in principle on matters related to borders, Jerusalem and Palestinian refugees.
Trump’s deal disregards this. Jordan’s stand on this is commendable. The kingdom sees the two-state solution as the only viable way to bring the Palestinian-Israeli conflict to a just and fair resolution.
So does Malaysia. Anything that falls short of a two-state solution would be unworkable.
The US and Israel must be told that their plan of carving out Israeli territory illegally out of Arab land would not bring peace to Israel either. Trump’s “Deal of the Century” is a bad deal.