Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1205928
30.01.2020 7 MIDDLE EAST BORIS Johnson has defended Donald Trump's proposed Middle East peace plan, after the Palestinians rejected the US president's "conspiracy deal". The UK prime minister told MPs in the Commons that "no peace plan is perfect", but the US proposal "has the merit of a two-state solution". Johnson said the Israel-Palestine conflict had "bedevilled the world for decades" and the plan would "ensure that Jerusalem is both the capital of Israel and the Palestinian people". He also called on Palestinian leaders to engage with what Mr Trump has proposed. The PM was responding to questions from Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, who was critical of President Trump's plan. "It will annex Palestinian territo- ry, lock in illegal Israeli colonisation, transfer Palestinian citizens out of Is- rael and deny Palestinian people their fundamental rights," Corbyn said. He called for the British government to instead make clear to Washington that it would "stand for a genuine, in- ternationally-backed peace plan rath- er than this stuff proposed by Trump yesterday". He added that the plan "will not bring any move towards peace" and has "no support from any Palestinian anywhere in the world". Britain should be honest and tell the US it is "wrong", Corbyn continued. Under the plan, a Palestinian state would be established in parts of the West Bank. This would consist of the West Bank and Gaza, connected by a combi- nation of roads, bridges and above- ground tunnels. The proposal, if realised, would more than double the territory cur- rently under Palestinian control. But Israel would be allowed to annex nearly all of its settlements in the oc- cupied West Bank, which have been constructed there since the area was captured alongside east Jerusalem by Israel in the 1967 Six-Day War. The West Bank settlements are con- sidered illegal under international law, but Israel disputes this. A Palestinian capital would be creat- ed on the outskirts of east Jerusalem, but most of the city would stay under Israeli control. Standing alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House, Trump said the "realis- tic" two-state solution was a "win-win opportunity" for both sides. The Palestinians have already reject- ed the proposal, accusing Trump of being biased in favour of Israel. The president has shifted the US po- sition on West Bank settlements since coming to office in 2017, as well as recognising Jerusalem as Israel's cap- ital. Both decisions reversed longstand- ing US policy. Palestinian President Mahmoud Ab- bas called the peace plan a "conspira- cy" and he gave it "a thousand noes". "After the nonsense that we heard today, we say a thousand noes to the deal of the century." Italy welcomes plan "Italy welcomes the efforts made by the United States to try to boost (the Mideast peace process) and yet will assess with great attention the con- tents of Washington's proposals, in coordination with the EU and in line with the relevant UN resolutions," the Italian foreign ministry said in a state- ment yesterday. "This in the conviction that the two- State solution remains the most just and sustainable prospect, although it requires a still long and complex path of reconstruction of trust between the parties and mutual willingness for di- alogue and compromise". The statement said that Italy "is ready to support a negotiated process which, taking into account the legiti- mate aspirations of the two sides, may also contribute to the stability and se- curity of the Middle Eastern region". France supports Trump's efforts for peace A spokesperson for the French For- eign Ministry released a statement yesterday in support of the peace plan that US President Donald Trump pro- posed on Tuesday. "France welcomes President Trump's efforts and is carefully studying the peace plan he introduced," the state- ment read. "France is convinced that a two-state solution, in accordance with interna- tional law and agreed international parameters, is necessary for the es- tablishment of a just and lasting peace in the Middle East. France will con- tinue to work in this direction in co- operation with the United States, its European partners and anyone who can contribute to this goal. France is attentive to the need to respect and consider the legitimate aspirations of Israelis and Palestinians. European leaders defend Donald Trump's Middle East peace plan Benjamin Netanyahu clasps hands with Donald Trump as the US president unveils his Mideast peace plan at the White House