Hamas and Gazan Palestinians held event centered on derailing Trump’s peace plan; PA delegations seeking support and funding from international states; Hamas head: the Palestinian people are made to protect the Palestinian cause and to confront the “deal of the century” no matter what the costs and sacrifices.
Palestinian leadership in the Gaza Strip held an event called “United Against the Deal of the Century”, in reference to President Trump’s regional peace deal to be released sometime this summer. The meeting was attended by Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad and varied factions as an attempt to show unity to combat President Trump’s deal. Hamas head Ismail Haniyeh claimed that “the Palestinian people are made to protect the Palestinian cause and to confront the “deal of the century” no matter what the costs and sacrifices.”
The Palestinian Authority (PA) has sent delegations around the globe to combat the deal, gathering support from regional and global leaders. It has centered its efforts on demonizing the peace deal, even before any details of it have been released, as well as its claims of a financial or economic war imposed by the United States and Israel.
The PA managed to gain a $100 million a month commitment from the Arab League to “make up” for Israel’s cuts in tax revenues combatting the Palestinian’s martyr fund. The group confirmed in Cairo last week that it would assist the Palestinians after PA President Mahmoud Abbas called for funds and “security” amidst cuts from Israel and the United States.
At the beginning of the month, PA President Mahmoud Abbas claimed at one of the several gatherings of the Arab League this month, “We are about to face a period of challenges as Israel, the occupation state, has destroyed all the agreements and renounced all its commitments to Oslo [Accords] until today. Israel is dismantling the two-state solution through the implementation of destructive policies and procedures, which compelled us to lose hope for peace. We can no longer tolerate or cope with this situation to protect the interests of our people…”
Meanwhile, the PA continues to deny tax returns from Israel after it began cutting funds to make up for its “terror salaries”. Under new Israeli legislature, the amount paid by the PA for its “martyrs” and their families is now deducted. The Palestinians have refused to accept any of the funds from Israel in protest. Reports claim Prime Minister Netanyahu ordered the money be sent anyways to avoid economic collapse. The PA reportedly returned the money.
Photo: Abed Rahim Khatib/Shutterstock.com
