Ex-Arab League head hits out at ‘biased’ US plan for Palestine

A former Arab League secretary-general lambasted the United States’ approach to Israel and Palestine, predicting that a US peace plan would be rejected by Arab states.

Speaking at the second day of the fifth Abu Dhabi Strategic Debate yesterday, Amr Moussa said American policy was “biased and not giving Palestinians their rights”.

Mr Moussa’s comments came after US President Donald Trump’s announcement that a White House proposal to end the Israel-Palestine conflict would be announced in the coming months.

“It appears that Trump wants to solve this issue and not manage the crisis. This solution presented is only an Israeli solution, because 99 per cent of the deal serves the interests of one side,” Mr Moussa said.

The diplomat said he expected Arab leaders to reject Mr Trump’s “deal of the century” in the same way they rejected the US moving its embassy to Jerusalem, its cutting of funds to the UN refugee agency for Palestinians and its expulsion of Palestinian diplomats from Washington.

Mr Trump’s Jerusalem embassy move overturned decades of US policy, in which the city’s status would be decided only through Israeli-Palestinian negotiations.

The US president’s declaration drew condemnation from Arab leaders and widespread criticism elsewhere.

“What will we get in return for accepting and saying this is a good deal? Jerusalem and the issue of refugees is off the table,” Mr Moussa said.

The region was “far from reaching a point where the Palestinians will accept certain policies of any deal presented to them”.

Mr Moussa said Arab nations were committed to the idea of a two-state solution based on the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as the Palestinian capital.

“The Arabs have not backed down from the Palestinian issue, it is still alive among the majority – in public opinion, trade unions, tribes,” he said.

The Washington Institute for Near East Policy’s Dennis Ross said that making Jerusalem the capital of Israel should have been presented as part of the peace plan.

“We don’t know what is in the plan just yet because we haven’t seen it.

“My impression at this point is that Trump’s administration understands that there’s no deal that doesn’t address both sides,” Mr Ross said.

The Palestinian issue cannot be wished away, because it is closely tied with the stability of the region, he said.