London, May 20 (RHC)-- During an address in London, Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki slammed the so-called U.S. ‘Deal of the Century’, stating that it is “the consecration of our century-old ordeal: no independence, no sovereignty, no freedom, no justice,” during an address in London.
The Palestinian Authority’s foreign representative called Washington's plan to resolve the Israel-Palestinian conflict an unacceptable 'surrender act' which only serves to prop up Israel. "What future does the U.S. plan offer to the Palestinian people? Well, a very similar one since all indicates this administration is preparing to give its stamp of approval to Israel's colonial policies," al-Maliki pointed out.
Earlier this week, Maliki submitted a request to The Hague-based International Criminal Court (ICC) for legal action against the U.S. over the relocation of its embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. The Palestinian minister noted that the country’s leadership is ready to negotiate a peace that is monitored by international parties, and centered on and acknowledges the pre-1967 borders.
Israel has built some 140 settlements in the Occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem since the 1967 Middle East war. These settlements are illegal under international law. "The U.S. administration has shown nothing but disregard for Palestinian rights and for Palestinian lives, for international law and the internationally recognized terms of reference, and for common sense and decency,” the foreign minister added.
Al-Maliki declared that people of Palestine are long-suffering and now “want freedom, not conditional liberty, they want sovereignty not autonomy, they want peace and coexistence, not domination and subjugation."
The minister also thanked the international community for its wide-scale rejection of the United States’ illegal relocation of its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. In early May, White House advisor Kushner intimated that the plan could drop a two-state solution and accept Jerusalem as Israel's capital.
“And if they do not think that this situation will have an impact on the future of Israel and the region, one way or the other, they are the ones that are delusional, not us," Maliki said.
