Corbyn to reject 'an unfair' US Palestine-Israel deal

Corbyn to reject 'an unfair' US Palestine-Israel deal
Britain's main opposition leader has said he would reject an unfair Palestine-Israel peace plan proposed by the administration of US President Donald Trump.
2 min read
12 May, 2019
Trump has been pushing a hard-line policy that favours Israel [Getty]

Britain's main opposition leader has said he would reject a controversial Palestine-Israel peace plan proposed by the administration of US President Donald Trump, if it was unfair.

Jeremy Corbyn made the comments on Sunday in an online statement ahead of a protest in London to mark the anniversary of the mass displacement of Palestinians during the creation of the Israeli state in 1948.

"If President Trump’s Middle East plan is, as expected, an attempt to bury the Palestinians’ right to a viable state alongside Israel, we will call on our government and the international community to reject it decisively," Corbyn said.

"No peace plan can succeed at the expense of the rights of the Palestinian people,"

The Labour party leader reiterated his commitment to recognising a Palestinian state if his party was elected to government.

The US has said it will reveal its long-awaited deal after the Islamic holy month of Ramadan comes to an end in early June.

The plan was originally poised to be released earlier this year but was delayed after elections were called in Israel.

Palestinian leaders have already dismissed it, saying it is blatantly biased in favour of Israel.

Trump has been pushing a hard-line policy that favours Israel.

The US leader has recognised the divided city of Jerusalem as Israel's capital - something that was condemned by most countries in the world - while he also acknowledged Israel's illegal claims to the Syrian Golan Heights territories.

The peace plan - dubbed the "deal of the century" - is being developed by Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner, whose close ties to right-wing Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu have heightened Palestinian suspicions.

Although the plan's details remain secret, its broad outlines have gradually emerged.

In exchange for a massive infusion of aid and investment financed by wealthy Arab Gulf states, Palestinians would have to accept illegal Israeli settlements deep inside the West Bank.

Other alleged clauses include Israel’s permanent control over the Jordan Valley and a long-term Israeli military presence in the occupied West Bank.

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