Information on U.S.-Israeli Agenda of Annexation and Extinguishing Palestinian Right to Be
Demonstration in Ramallah, February 11, 2020, one
of many in Palestine and around the world
rejecting the Trump administration's "Deal of the
Century."
U.S President Donald Trump announced his so
called "Deal of the Century" on January 28 this
year. It aims to legitimize the role of the
Zionist state over the Palestinians, depriving
them of their livelihoods and lands and, in
particular, negating their rights as a people,
including the right of return. The Palestinian
people have rejected the "Deal of the Century" in
its entirety, while the Israeli state and its
political leaders are acting as if it is a done
deal.
Immediately after the terms of the "Deal" were
disclosed, the publication Canada Talks
Israel-Palestine issued a summary of its
main features and presented its assessment to
Global Affairs Canada "to help Minister
Francois-Philippe Champagne make up his mind on
the substance of the Deal." The government of
Canada has remained silent.
Here are ten of the main provisions of the Deal
identified by Canada Talks Israel-Palestine:
 Expansion of Israel's
Borders: Israel's borders will now extend
to the Jordan River. In the process, Israel will
gain another 20 per cent of the West Bank. It will
give up some mostly uninhabited desert land in the
Negev near the Gaza-Egypt border. Israel will
retain sovereignty over territorial waters, which
means not only that it will control access to
Gaza, but also the subsea resources (chiefly
natural gas) off the Mediterranean coast.
Exclusive
Israeli control over Jerusalem:
Palestinians will have to accept that all of
Jerusalem ("undivided") is Israel's capital and
under Israeli control, including the Old City.
Palestinians will be allowed to keep some land on
the periphery of East Jerusalem and call it their
"capital." (In Canadian terms, "we will take
Ottawa as our capital and you can have
Barrhaven.")
Settlements:
Israel will annex the Jordan Valley and claim
sovereignty over 100 Israeli settlements in the
West Bank. This includes 15 isolated settlements,
which will be enclaves within an eventual
Palestinian state. The Israeli military will have
access to these isolated settlements.
Israeli military
control: Israel will be in control of
security from the Jordan River to the
Mediterranean Sea. The Israel Defense Forces will
be able to go anywhere in the West Bank and Gaza.
Right of return
denied for almost all refugees: Over half
the Palestinian population are refugees -- between
5 and 7 million people. They are the descendants
of non-Jews (Muslims and Christians) who were
driven out of what became Israel in 1947/48. But
according to the plan, only a small number of
Palestinian refugees and their descendants will be
allowed into the new Palestinian "state." None
will have the right to enter Israel. The rest will
have to give up the idea of return, despite the
fact that it is guaranteed in international law
A Palestinian
"quasi" state -- "eventually? maybe?":
The plan does not include immediate recognition of
a Palestinian state; rather, it holds out the
prospect of a future Palestinian "State" --
eventually, and under certain conditions. But this
state is unlike any other state in the world. It
will be a strange collection of separate "areas"
cut off from each other by Israeli-only roads, and
pockmarked by Israeli settlements, which will be
Israeli territory. The Palestinian state will have
no territorial contiguity, and the parts of the
West Bank will be connected via 12 tunnels or
bridges. Israel will maintain control of all its
borders. The West Bank and Gaza Strip will be
connected by a 20-kilometre tunnel.
 Some Palestinian
Israelis could lose Israeli citizenship:
The plan leaves open the possibility that Israel
will redraw its borders to exclude several large
Palestinian towns now on Israel's borders. By
including them in the future Palestinian "state,"
Israel would reduce the number of non-Jews in
Israel by several hundred thousand.
An end to
resistance: Trump also called for the
disarmament of Palestinian political factions like
Hamas and Islamic Jihad, and "firm rejection of
terrorism" as a requirement for Palestinian
statehood. Palestinians would give up their right
to defend their homes and schools from attacks by
settlers, for example. The plan also demands that
the Palestinians drop their request that the
International Criminal Court investigate Israel
for "crimes against humanity."
Recognition of
Israel as a Jewish State: Palestinians
would be required to recognize Israel as the
Jewish State, and accept that the Israeli border
will be along the Jordan valley. Israeli citizens
who are not Jewish (i.e., Palestinian citizens of
Israel, who number 1.5 million) will have to
accept permanently their situation as second class
citizens with fewer rights than those of Jewish
Israeli citizens.
Promises of new
investment and job creation: The plan
holds out the lure of $50 billion in investments
over 10 years. "Over the next 10 years, one
million great new Palestinian jobs will be
created," Trump promised, adding that the poverty
rate will be cut in half, and the Palestinian GDP
will "double and triple." He did not say who will
pony up the money, however. The implication seems
to be that it will come from other Arab states,
though none has offered any.
Statement Issued by Global Affairs Canada on
January 28 on the
Release of U.S. Middle East Peace Plan
Montreal demonstration, February 2, 2020, stands
with the Palestinian people in denouncing the
"Deal of the Century."
The Honourable François-Philippe Champagne,
Minister of Foreign Affairs, stated "Canada
remains committed to the goal of achieving a
comprehensive, just and lasting peace in the
Middle East. This includes the creation of a
Palestinian state living side by side in peace and
security with Israel and ensuring Israel's
security within its own borders.
"Canada recognizes the urgent need to renew
efforts toward a negotiated solution to the
Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and will carefully
examine the details of the U.S. initiative for the
Middle East peace process.
"Canada has long maintained that peace can only
be achieved through direct negotiations between
the parties. We urge the parties to create the
conditions for such negotiations to take place.
"Canada reaffirms its readiness to support
meaningful dialogue between the parties toward a
negotiated and viable two-state solution."
This article was published in
Volume 50 Number 17 - May 16, 2020
Article Link:
Information on U.S.-Israeli Agenda of Annexation and Extinguishing Palestinian Right to Be
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