Tag Archives: Palestine
Independent Palestine State Is Solution for Peace, Jordan Says
(Bloomberg) — The establishment of an independent Palestinian state, with East Jerusalem as its capital, is the solution that fulfills the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people and is the only path to a comprehensive and lasting peace, Jordan’s Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi said in an emailed statement.“The national interests of Jordan and its established and unwavering positions and principles towards the Palestinian issue governs the way in which the government deals with all proposals and initiatives aimed at resolving the conflict,” Safadi said after U.S. President Donald Trump announced a new Mideast peace plan.“Jordan supports every genuine effort aimed at achieving just and comprehensive peace that people will accept,” Safadi said.The minister stressed the urgency of launching serious and direct negotiations that solve all final status issues within a comprehensive solution in accordance with established terms of reference, the Arab peace initiative and international law.Jordan will continue to work with Arab countries and the international community for realizing peace that will be lasting, just and that people will accept, Safadi said.The Palestinian issue is the foremost Arab issue and Jordan will coordinate with Palestine and other Arab countries in addressing future developments within Arab consensus, he said.Safadi warned against the dangerous consequences of unilateral Israeli measures, such as annexation of Palestinian lands, the building and expansion of illegal Israeli settlements on Palestinian occupied lands and encroachments on the Holy Sites in Jerusalem, that aim at imposing new realities on the ground.Jordan will continue to dedicate all its resources to protect Jerusalem and its Holy Sites, preserve the historical and legal status quo and protect their Muslim, Christian identity, Safadi said. Jordan seeks a true, just peace on the basis of the two-state solution that ends the occupation that began in 1967, preserves the rights of the Palestinian people, guarantees the security of all sides, and protects the interests of Jordan, including these related to final status issues, he said. To contact the reporter on this story: Mohammad Tayseer in Amman at mtayseer@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Shaji Mathew at shajimathew@bloomberg.net, Anne Reifenberg, Vishal PersaudFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.comSubscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source.©2020 Bloomberg L.P.
Trump Unveils Middle East Plan that Offers Palestine Path to Statehood, Increased Territory
President Trump unveiled his administration's plan for Israeli-Palestinian peace at a press conference on Tuesday that currently lacks Palestinian buy-in but nevertheless provides a path to Palestinian statehood and substantial territorial gains.Trump said that Israel would adopt the plan as a basis for negotiations with the Palestinians."All prior administrations from the [administration of] Lyndon Johnson have failed," Trump told assembled officials and reporters, with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at his side. "But I was not elected to do small things, or shy away from large problems."Netanyahu thanked Trump and adviser Jared Kushner for their development of the plan.“The Jewish state owes [Jared Kushner], and it owes President Trump, an eternal debt of gratitude,” Netanyahu said.The plan itself calls for more than doubling the area of the West Bank currently under Palestinian control, as well as a Palestinian capital in East Jerusalem. However, the President also insisted that Israel would retain "undivided" control over its capital of Jerusalem, and that no Israelis or Palestinians would be uprooted from their homes to make the deal.The Palestinians would be required to meet certain conditions for the plan's implementation. These include the disarmament of terror groups Hamas and Islamic Jihad, the discontinuation of Palestinian Authority programs that pay salaries to terrorists or their families, and the recognition of Israel as a Jewish state.In return, the Palestinians would receive a state covering most of the West Bank and an investment of $ 50 billion in the state's economy, funded by other nations.The plan does not grant Palestinians the right of return, with the possible exception of a small number of refugees from Israel's 1948 War of Independence. Israel would be required to implement a building freeze for a period of four years, covering territory in the West Bank to be included in a future Palestinian state.