Israel cancels railway project linking northern region with West Bank
Israeli Transport Minister Miri Regev on Tuesday announced in a statement the cancellation of the planned railway linking northern Israel with the northern West Bank.
On January 28, President Trump unveiled his long-awaited Middle East peace plan, envisaging a two-state solution but keeping Jerusalem as Israel’s undivided capital.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas discussed with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif the latest developments over the newly unveiled US peace plan in a phone call, official Palestinian news agency (WAFA) reported.
Abbas briefed Zarif on the Palestinian moves internationally aimed at rallying support to foil the US plan, said WAFA on Tuesday.
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On January 28, President Trump unveiled his long-awaited Middle East peace plan, envisaging a two-state solution but keeping Jerusalem as Israel’s undivided capital.
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On Saturday, Arab foreign ministers have also come up with their rejection of the plan.
During the Arab League emergency meeting held in Cairo, foreign ministers said, “Rejection of the US-Israeli Deal of the Century comes as it does not fulfil the minimum rights and aspirations of the Palestinian people”.
The rare phone call from Zarif comes amid cold relations between the Palestinian Authority based in the West Bank and Iran, as Tehran maintains close ties with the Hamas-led Palestinian factions based in the Gaza Strip.
Announcing the plan from the White House with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu standing next to him, US President Donald Trump said his plan “could be the last opportunity” for Palestinians, which, he said, “are in poverty and violence, exploited by those seeking to use them as pawns to advance terrorism and extremism”.
The Palestinians have already rejected the proposal, accusing Trump of being biased in favour of Israel as he has adopted policies that bolster Israel at their expense.
Hours after the plan was unveiled by President Donald Trump, his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan also came up with his fiery comment, saying “absolutely unacceptable”.
President Trump said his plan includes “a realistic two-state solution,” and that his administration would “work to create a territory for a contiguous Palestinian state in the future” that would “reject terrorism.”
Under the plan, Jerusalem will remain Israel’s “undivided capital,” Trump said, raising eyebrows after he had said that the capital of the Palestinian state would be in “eastern Jerusalem,” where the United States would “proudly open an embassy.”
The plan builds on a 30-page economic plan for the West Bank and Gaza that was unveiled last June and which the Palestinians have also rejected.
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