US & Palestine clash over peace plan, settlements at UNSC meeting

Greenblatt attacked the council for its alleged bias at the Thursday meeting, criticizing it for not focusing on Hamas and Islamic Jihad rockets instead of “rehashing tired talking points.” 

Palestinian Foreign Affairs Minister Riad Malki slammed the US’ so-called ‘deal of the century’ for Israel and Palestine, as “not a peace plan, but rather conditions for surrender.” He said that President Donald Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital “in blatant violation of international law” showed it was “not possible to have faith” in the US plan.

“Every decision the US administration has taken since has simply confirmed its disregard for Palestinian lives, for Palestinian rights,” Malki added, before later accusing the US of totally adopting the Israeli position.

Greenblatt and Jared Kushner’s peace plan will be revealed next month. An alleged draft of the plan, reportedly leaked by Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs sources to Israeli newspaper Israel Hayom, suggests Palestinians will be given a demilitarized ‘New Palestine,’ state while the illegal Israeli settlements will remain in place and be annexed by Israel.

The Security Council meeting was called to discuss Israeli settlements, which UNSC Resolution 2334 condemns as a “flagrant violation” of international law. Greenblatt said it was “surprising and unfair” that Israel had not been invited to speak at the session and that the “obsessive” focus on settlements was a “farce.”

Key issues in the peace process are the settlements and the contested city of Jerusalem, which Israel wants as its capital, while the Palestinians want East Jerusalem as theirs. The alleged leaked draft says the city will be a shared capital, but run by an Israeli municipality, as it is now.

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