Mahmoud Abbas Seeks UN Security Council Rejection Of Trump’s ‘Deal Of The Century’

Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas plans to submit a draft resolution condemning Trump’s ‘deal of the century’  Mideast peace plan to the UN Security Council, where he’ll urge the council with the co-sponsorship of non-permanent member Tunisia (serving a 2-year term) to the vote on the matter.

“Of course we would like to see a strong, large opposition to this Trump plan,” Palestinian U.N. Ambassador Riyad Mansour told reporters. He slammed the US initiative unveiled Tuesday at the White House as “the opposite of peace” that would allow Israel “to annex” 40% of the Palestinian territory.

Abbas is due in Cairo Saturday for a meeting of Arab League foreign ministers, after which he’ll attend the African Union summit, among others where he’ll gen up diplomatic momentum against the US plan.

“We will continue the consultations. These consultations will be culminated in a visit by President Abbas within the next two weeks to the Security Council, in which he will put before the entire international community the reaction of the Palestinian people and the Palestinian leadership to this onslaught against the national rights of the Palestinian people by the Trump administration,” Mansour said further.

The Palestine representative explained: “We will also be consulting with everyone,” and added, “Hopefully, by that time we will have the agreement on the text that the Security Council will vote on it.”

The Trump plan’s unveiling alongside Israeli PM Netanyahu this week immediately unleashed fierce protests and clashes with police in the West Bank.

Meanwhile, immediately following Trump’s unveiling details of the plan, which critics argue demanded few if any significant concessions from the Israeli side, Netanyahu announced that Israel will move forward to vote Sunday to annex some 30% of all West Bank territory.

Netanyahu said that “Israel will apply its laws to the Jordan Valley and to the Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria.” This means a million or so Palestinian residents could come under Israeli rule, which sparked a fierce backlash both internationally and among some members of US Congress. 

JARED KUSHNER tries to sell his Middle East Peace Plan on Fox & Friends: “Past proposals have been 2 to 3 pages — this is an over 80-page proposal with a map. Never been done before.” pic.twitter.com/LXMuWfU3Nf

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) January 29, 2020

Aside from Hamas and the Palestinian Authority under Abbas immediately rejecting the plan to which they were not privy, nor had any negotiating role (after already declaring it would be dead on arrival), Turkey was among the first internationally to condemn it.

It also appears there won’t be much support at the UN for the new plan: “U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres says the United Nations remains committed to supporting Palestinians and Israelis in resolving their conflict on the basis of U.N. resolutions, international law and bilateral agreements,” the AP reported. However, securing a UN Security Council vote is quite another thing.

Referencing the the pre-1967 borders, UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said, “The position of the United Nations on the two-State solution has been defined, throughout the years, by relevant Security Council and General Assembly resolutions by which the Secretariat is bound.”