Muslim Conflicts Cleared Way for US Mideast ploy

EghtesadOnline: Disputes between Arab and non-Arab Muslim countries have emboldened the US and Israel to propose a lopsided Middle East peace plan, an expert on international relations said.

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08 February 2020

Hassan Beheshtipour also told ISNA that Israel and the US would not have "dared" to propose the controversial Israeli-Palestinian peace plan, if Arab and non-Arab Muslim countries were on amicable terms, Financial Tribune reported.

Last week, US President Donald Trump stood alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to introduce his so-called "deal of the century". Counted out of talks, Palestinians instantly rejected the unjust proposal.

Beheshtipour said the initiative, dubbed "Vision for Peace," can bring non-Arab Muslim countries such as Turkey, Iran, Malaysia and Bangladesh together to unite with Arab states in taking measures against the plan.

Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif had made similar remarks earlier, describing the proposal as "a wakeup call for all the Muslims who have been barking up the wrong tree".

The expert on international relations said by discussing a two-state solution, Americans played a political game against Palestinian officials, but their plan shows they fully ignored Palestine's rights and aspirations.

As per the proposal, a demilitarized Palestinian state would be deprived of lands lost in the 1967 six-day war and it would be granted a place to establish their capital on the outskirts of Beit-ul-Moqaddas.

Beheshtipour noted that the "unrealistic" plan has no chance of being implemented and it was only released by Trump and Netanyahu to reshape the political discourse in their respective countries.

Trump is being impeached over abuse of power and obstruction of US Congress, while the embattled Israeli prime minister is facing criminal charges at home.

Alternative Proposal

Following the release of Trump's peace plan, Tehran reiterated its alternative solution for the region, by calling for a "referendum whereby all Palestinians—Muslim, Jews or Christian—decide their future".

The expert said Iran needs to bring to the fore its alternative plan and call the world’s attention to such options.

"We need proposals that can peacefully resolve this impossible situation," he said.

Commenting on the implications of Trump's blueprint for Iranians, Beheshtipour said the US president's insistence on new negotiations on the 2015 Iran nuclear deal is similar to his plan for the Middle East, making nations surrender through "sanctions, coercion and international pressure".

Trump's so-called peace plan wants Palestinians to give up the right of return, while it gives Israel full sovereignty over much of the occupied West Bank. It also fully divests Palestine's internationally recognized entitlement to East Beit-ul-Moqaddas.