Khaled: The Palestinian Quartet paper did not fall into the trap of entering a negotiating clash with Trumps deal

Member of the Political Bureau of the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine, member of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization, Tayseer Khaled, revealed the details of a paper presented by the Palestinian side to the International Quartet during the past few days.

Khaled said in a press interview, that the paper presented was not a "counter proposal" to the "Trump's deal", as several media outlets mentioned as much as it was an independent position paper.

Khaled added: I do not know if it is possible to talk about a counter proposal to the American "Trump's deal" or the American settlement plan that announced by Donald Trump on January 28, but what is meant is to clarify the Palestinian position in the face of the pressure from a number of regional, European and international countries, countries that were It pressure toward pushing the Palestinians into a negotiating clash with the vision of the American president, which is not possible. It is not possible, and it is a fatal mistake, to enter into a negotiating clash with the vision of the American president, because the differences between the two positions, the American and the Palestinian, are vast and it is not possible to bridge the gap between the American and Palestinian positions. Accordingly, it is not appropriate to talk about a Palestinian proposal against the American President’s vision known as the deal of the century, indicating that the safest, talking about a “position paper,” in which the Palestinian side outlined its position and opinion regarding the desired political settlement.

A member of the Political Bureau of the DFLP added: I personally did not see what the Palestinian side sent to the International Quartet, and I would have preferred this issue suggested to the Executive Committee in a regular formal meeting with President Abu Mazen in his capacity as Chairman of the Committee. However, according to the information available to me, the Palestinian side sent a "position paper" to the International Quartet, and not out of contemplation of a negotiating clash with the "deal of the century", but as a way to clarify the Palestinian position on the efforts of the International Quartet, which we have once had experience with and its many observations on its formation and working methods.

Khaled said: The main elements in the paper that the Palestinian side sent to the Quartet during the deliberations to prepare for a meeting in Geneva at the end of last May include:

First: The Palestinian side expresses its readiness for a political settlement based on the international legitimacy decisions related to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and the Palestinian issue, leading to a settlement based on the so-called two-state solution on the borders of June 4, 1967, including Jerusalem, and in an international framework away from the exclusive American sponsorship of this settlement. The paper here unnecessarily indicated that the Palestinian side accepts a demilitarized state.

Second: The Palestinian side expresses its willingness on this base to exchange lands with limited areas on an equal basis in value and ideals, pointing out that the DFLP opposed this idea from the beginning because exchanging lands in the first place was not a sound idea and opens to an unknown we needless to, as it indicates this is the latest indications in the position of both the American administration and the Israeli occupation government.

Third: The Palestinian side calls for a solution to the refugees issue in accordance with the international legitimacy resolutions, including resolution 194 and the Arab Peace Initiative in relation to refugees.

Fourth: With regard to borders and security, the Palestinian side has made it clear that it does not accept Israeli security control over the borders, or in the Jordan Valley, but has expressed its willingness to accept a third party taking over this task, forces from the United Nations or NATO, or something similar.

Khaled stressed that these are the main four elements of the paper, and if some see this as a counter proposal, I believe that there is no major problem with that. What is important is that the Palestinian side did not fall into the trap of luring in to enter into a negotiating clash with the American side as was the American administration and other countries so aspire. The gap between the American and Palestinian positions is very wide, and there is absolutely no room for bridging the gap between them.

Tayseer Khaled added that the American side rejected this Palestinian paper altogether and in detail, and stipulated that if there is a meeting of the International Quartet, that the US peace plan be on the agenda of this meeting, which was rejected by the Palestinian side and also rejected by other Quartet parties, the United Nations, the European Union and the Russian Federation.

Dr. Muhammad Shtayyeh, the Palestinian Prime Minister, had indicated in a meeting with representatives of foreign media in his office in the city of Ramallah, according to (Arab 48) website that the Palestinians had submitted a "counter proposal" to the "Trump's deal" plan.

Tayseer Khaled added: "We submitted a counter proposal to the Quartet a few days ago," noting that the four-and-a-half-page proposal stipulates the creation of a "sovereign, independent, and demilitarized Palestinian state," and that the proposal also includes "minor adjustments to the borders when necessary," and that the exchange will be "equal" in terms of "size and value" of the regions.