‘Like Swiss cheese’: Abbas rubbishes Trump’s map for Palestine, urges UNSC to reject ‘deal of the century’ peace plan

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has appeared before the UNSC, criticizing the Trump administration’s peace plan for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and urging the Security Council to firmly reject it.

The UNSC gathered in New York on Tuesday to discuss the decades-long conflict between Palestinians and Israelis, and the much-hyped ‘deal of the century’ plan unveiled by the US President Donald Trump and Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu late in January.

Speaking before the Council, Abbas once again rejected Trump’s peace plan, blasting the project as a gift to Israel. “This plan should not be considered an international reference for negotiations. It is an Israeli-American preemptive plan to put an end to the question of Palestine,” Abbas stated.

He then produced a map of the “independent” Palestinian state envisioned by Trump, arguing that the proposed disarray of Palestinian enclaves within Israeli territory is meant only to “legitimize what was illegal” and reinforce “the apartheid regime.” Such a “state” will not actually have any real sovereignty and will lack any control over its “land, sea and air,” Abbas argued.

Here’s the plan they gave us. It looks like Swiss cheese.

The Palestinian leader also called upon the UNSC to convene an international conference on Israeli-Palestinian reconciliation, stressing that “the US cannot be the sole mediator.” Palestinians are seeking peace, he said, and this is still “achievable,” but must be based upon a “just partnership” with Israel — not on plans imposed from abroad.

“If you impose peace it will not last, it cannot last,” Abbas said. “What gives you the right to annex these lands?”

Speaking after Abbas, Israel’s UN Ambassador Danny Danon insisted that his country is seeking peace and is ready for “talks” as well, before blaming Abbas for the lack of any real progress in the peace process. The incumbent leader of the Palestinian Authority cannot be a “partner” for peace, Danon said, and the stalled talks process can be only reinvigorated when he steps down. Regarding Trump’s project, Danon said that even if one does not entirely agree with its details, he should still “embrace its spirit.”

Producing a working plan to settle the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has been repeatedly promised by Trump since he assumed office back in 2016. His roadmap was finally revealed on January 28 — to strong Israeli endorsement and equally strident Palestinian rejection.

The plan envisions creation of an “independent” Palestinian state — in a form of multiple enclaves dotting Israeli territory with a “capital” on the outskirts of East Jerusalem. It also deprives Palestinian refugees of their right of return and keeps illegal Israeli settlements in the West Bank in place.

The unveiling of the ‘peace plan’ enraged Palestinians, leading to protests and a spike of violence in the country, which, in turn, prompted Israeli threats to take decisive action against hardline Palestinian organizations.

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