Arab League Leader Says There Will Be No Peace Deal in Middle East without Palestinian State
Arab League Secretary General Ahmed Aboul Gheit said at an event Monday that a peace deal in the Middle East would not be achieved without the establishment of a Palestinian state.
President Donald Trump is expected to introduce a “Middle East peace plan” later in June during a peace workshop in Bahrain.
But Aboul Gheit said no such deal will be made if Israel does not give Palestine the territories it took control of in 1967.
The Arab League leader also said that Israel will have to allow for Jerusalem to be the new Palestinian state’s capital.
“Whatever is rejected by the Palestinian or the Arab side is unacceptable,” Aboul Gheit said at the Arab League event in Cairo, Egypt.
“What is acceptable from our side as Arabs as a solution is the establishment of a Palestinian state on the June 4, 1967, borders, with Jerusalem as its capital.”
Aboul Gheit then pointed to the 2002 Arab Peace Initiative as the only acceptable plan moving forward.
The 2002 Arab Peace Initiative plan was introduced by Saudi Arabia, a nation that has openly advocated for Israeli withdrawal from the West Bank since 1967.
“If [Israel] chooses the only reasonable and accepted way from our side as Arabs, which is the establishment of a Palestinian state … it will be accepted in the region as a normal regional partner,” he continued.
Egypt, Jordan and Morocco are expected to join the United States’ conference in Bahrain, Reuters reported, citing a White House official.
“This is exciting — an opportunity of a generation,” White House Special Representative for International Negotiations Jason Greenblatt wrote Sunday in a CNN Op-Ed.
“We are grateful to the Kingdom of Bahrain for extending the invitation to [the Trump administration] to host the June 25 and 26 workshop with them for the benefit of Palestinians and others in the region, offering us a unique opportunity to communicate our economic vision.
“This workshop will facilitate discussions on an ambitious, achievable vision and framework for a prosperous future for Palestinians,” Greenblatt continued.
“President Trump is informed by previous attempts at peace but not encumbered by them. He is seeking a realistic resolution and a brighter future for all those burdened with this conflict.”
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