Hours after the much-hyped Middle East peace plan was announced by US President Donald Trump, thousands of Palestinians demonstrated in major West Bank and Gaza cities against "Deal of the Century", while Palestinian politicians and activists slammed the proposal, with many pledging to "fight against the plan". RNA -Shortly after the announcement, mosques across the occupied West Bank launched the call to prayer in a move to announce their rejection of the deal and their readiness to fight against it.
Protests were held in Ramallah, Nablus, Jenin and Gaza city all denouncing the US plan and expressing support for the Palestinian leadership in its adamant opposition to the plan.
People waved the Palestinian flag as they rallied in city centers, calling for foiling the US plan which they stress aims at ending the Palestinian cause. "Palestine is not for sale", "The deal will not pass" and "No, no for the deal", crowds chanted, raising banners and burning photos of Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
More protests are expected in the coming days as a show of rejection of Washington plan and in support of the leadership.
Even before the proposal was announced, Palestinians called it dead on arrival, stressing it was an attempt to "finish off" the Palestinian cause.
Demonstrators have also flooded the streets outside the US Embassy in Ankara and the consulate in Istanbul, venting their rage over the newly-unveiled "Deal of the Century", which Turkey has slammed as an “annexation plan”.
Trump revealed his plan on Tuesday with Netanyahu standing by his side at the White House on Tuesday. The US leader led his statement by introducing the Israeli side of the plan, announcing that Jerusalem would remain the "undivided capital" of Israel, adding that this has "already been done". Speaking after the US president, Netanyahu said Trump has been the "best friend" Israel has ever had and though there have been good friends of Israel's in the White House before, they do not even "come close" to Trump.
The proposal has been denounced by the Palestinians as a "New Balfour Declaration".
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas slammed Trump’s Middle East peace plan, declaring “Jerusalem is not for sale” and warning that the “conspiracy deal will not pass”.
“Your conspiracy deal will not pass and the Palestinian people will reject it,” Abbas warned on Tuesday after the United States unveiled his long-awaited plan for peace between Israel and Palestine.
"Jerusalem is not for sale," Abbas stated.
Calling it “impossible” for Palestinians to “accept a state without Jerusalem”, which would remain the US-recognized capital of Israel under Trump’s plan, Abbas made his feelings absolutely clear on the matter.
“No, no, a big no to the ’Deal of the Century’,” he noted, perdicting that the plan would be consigned to the “dustbin of history”.
At the request of the Palestinian government, the Arab League will hold an extraordinary meeting on Saturday to discuss the terms of the Middle East peace plan.
The Hamas Movement, for its part, released a statement strongly denouncing Trump for announcing his plan, which it said “was made by the Zio-American axis of evil with the aim of liquidating the Palestinian cause, perpetuating the pillars of the Jewish state and selling illusions to the Palestinian people”.
Hamas warned that Trump’s announcement of his plan would lead the situation to explode in the face of the Israeli occupation and destabilize the region further, holding the US administration and its Israel ally fully responsible for the repercussions of their actions.
The movement also slammed some Arab and European foreign ministers for attending the ceremony which Trump held to announce his plan to liquidate the Palestinian cause, describing their participation in such announcement as shameful.
Al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, has released a picture carrying a message to Trump about his deal of the century. The message read that “the Deal of the Century will not pass”.
Ismail Haniyeh, the head of Hamas’ Political Bureau, and Abbas held a rare phone conversation prior to the White House event. As Trump began his speech, Palestinian leaders from rival Fatah and Hamas movements held an emergency meeting to discuss the scheme.
Lebanon's Hezbollah Movement called the proposal a "deal of shame", adding that it was a very dangerous step that would have negative consequences on the region's future. It also said the proposal would not have happened without "complicity and betrayal" of several Arab states.
Yemen's Houthi Ansarullah movement has also denounced the US-proposed plan as a blatant act of aggression against Palestinians.
Iran has also condemned the plan as delusional and a move towards catastrophe.
The unveiling of the Israeli-US plan for the region comes at a crucial moment for Trump and Netanyahu, both of whom are facing upcoming elections and domestic tensions.
In addition to moving the US embassy to Jerusalem, the Trump administration has also slashed hundreds of millions of dollars in humanitarian aid to the Palestinians and recognised Israeli sovereignty over the Israel-occupied Golan Heights. Palestinians have previously stressed that the US cannot be an honest broker for peace in the region, accusing it of pro-Israel bias.
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