Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates Riyad al-Malki praised on Tuesday the statements of the African Union and the European Union earlier today which rejected the recently unveiled US peace plan, known as “the deal of the century”.
“The EU’s statement is a new blow to the Trump administration and the ‘diplomacy of piracy’ practiced by the American administration, which disregards international law and the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people, especially its right to build an independent state on the 1967 borders with Jerusalem as its capital,” the foreign minister said in a statement.
He added that “despite the pressures exerted by the American administration and Israel, the [EU] statement represents a victory for international legitimacy and the diplomacy of justice which the US is trying to replace with the diplomacy of intimidation and threats.”
Al-Malki stressed that the EU statement once again expressed the consensus of the member states regarding the principle of a two-state solution based on the terms of reference of the peace process and all the relevant United Nations resolutions.
“The statement makes it clear that the EU rejects the fait accompli policy practiced by Israel, and that the future of Jerusalem and borders should be decided through negotiations, especially since the Union does not and will not recognize the sovereignty of Israel over any parts of the occupied territories,” he continued.
Al-Malki further praised the EU’s threat to take practical measures against Israel if Israeli Premier Benjamin Netanyahu annexes any parts of the West Bank and imposes Israel’s sovereignty over there.
“We are working with the European Union to recognize an independent Palestinian state as the best way to save the peace process and a two-state solution,” he concluded.
In the meantime, al-Malki welcomed the statement of the Chairperson of the African Union Commission, Moussa Faki, which reiterated the Union’s unswerving support for the Palestinian people and their right to create an independent state of their own, with East Jerusalem as its capital.
He also praised the AU’s rejection of the US peace plan, which the latter described as being “prepared without any consultation with the legitimate representatives of the Palestinian people,” and which “disregards the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people”.
The foreign minister also hailed Mr. Faki’s call for “making sincere international efforts to find a just and lasting solution to the conflict, based on the two-state solution, Israel and Palestine.”
“The issuance of this statement prior to the African Union summit, to be held in Addis Ababa next Sunday, would pave the way for the African Summit to adopt a precise statement or resolution clarifying the refusal of the deal by the African Union and its countries,” al-Malki said.
