Arab ministers to hold urgent meeting on Trump's 'Deal of the Century'

Arab ministers to hold urgent meeting on Trump's 'Deal of the Century'
Foreign ministers to urgently meet on Sunday in the Arab League’s headquarter in Cairo to discuss peace deal as well as tax revenues deduction by Israel
2 min read
15 April, 2019
President Mahmoud Abbas and Foreign Affairs Minister Riyad al-Maliki will attend the meeting [Getty]

Arab foreign ministers will meet on Sunday in the Arab League's headquarter in Cairo to discuss the latest updates on the Palestinian cause as well as avenues to encounter the Deal of the Century.

Ahmad Qabaha, media and public relations officer at the Palestinian foreign ministry, said that Ramallah has demanded an urgent meeting between Arab foreign ministers to discuss the latest updates with regard to the Palestinian cause.

Qabaha confirmed that the meeting will be attended by President Mahmoud Abbas as well Palestinian Foreign Affairs Minister Riyad al-Maliki.

The Palestinian government suffers from a severe financial crisis following Israel's decision to deduct $11.3 million dollars from tax revenues, as a punishment against Ramallah's decision to assign allowances to Palestinian detainees and victims' families.

In reaction to Israel's punishment, Palestine refused to accept tax clearance revenues from Israel as long as the tax deduction is ongoing.

In the 2010 Arab League summit, Arab countries set up a Financial Safety Net, which can be activated to help Palestine in the event of Israel blocking tax revenues to Ramallah.

Another important item in the meeting's agenda will also be the President Donald Trump's so-called "Deal of the Century", to find a solution for the Israeli-Palestenian conflict, but which most believe will favour Israel.

Trump has been pushing a hard-line policy that favours Israel and last May recognised the divided city of Jerusalem as the Israel's capital, something that was condemned by most countries in the world.

Arab foreign ministers' call for an urgent meeting comes amid reports on Monday insinuating that the peace deal will not include a Palestinian state.

Little is known about the Trump administration's long-waited proposal to end the decades-long conflict.

US senior presidential adviser Jared Kurshner, Trump's son-in-law, has steadily pushed forward with the plan, travelling across the Middle East to garner support for key features of the deal.