US Deal of the Century coined "The Holocaust of the Century," by Palestinian group
- Fatah calls for violence:
"On Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday, June 24, 25, and 26, 2019
An escalation of the confrontations with the Israeli occupation in all districts of the homeland as a sign of opposition to the Deal of the Century and the workshop in Manama [in Bahrain]"
- Fatah official threatens violence:
"The great plot... will push our Palestinian people to protect its rights by all means available to it"
"The Fatah members and the vital forces on the Palestinian lands [should dedicate] the 24th, 25th, and 26th [of June] to Palestine and Jerusalem, in order to express their rejection of the Bahrain Conference"
- Director of anti-Bahrain Conference event:
"The Zionist-American 'Holocaust of the century' has come to eliminate the Palestinian cause, and in order to pass this, it was necessary to convene the Bahrain conference for Arab normalization with the Israeli racism, under the cover of 'the illusion of economic prosperity'"
As part of the Palestinian opposition to the US-led conference in Bahrain next week, some Palestinians have coined the conference a "holocaust":
"Palestinian leaders and faction representatives emphasized that the 'Bahrain workshop' will be tantamount to a holocaust for the Arab principles and Palestinian rights."
Al-Quds, June 12, 2019
The event to raise opposition to the conference, coined US President Trump's "Deal of the Century" as: "The Holocaust of the Century."
In response to the Bahrain Conference, Abbas' Fatah Movement is calling for violence against Israel on the specific days the conference is taking place.
Fatah posted this image of a masked Palestinian about to throw a rock, and text urging Palestinians to "escalate confrontations":
Text: "The program of activities against the Bahrain Conference and the Deal of the Century
On Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday, June 24, 25, and 26, 2019
An escalation of the confrontations with the Israeli occupation in all districts of the homeland as a sign of opposition to the deal of the century and the workshop in Manama
The Palestinian National Liberation Movement 'Fatah' - The Mobilization and Organization Commission, Information Office"
Official Fatah Facebook page, June 16, 2019
Since the announcement of the US-led conference in Bahrain next week, which is to focus on economic investment in the PA as part of Trump's Middle East peace plan, the PA has refused to participate and called on Arab states to boycott the conference.
Similarly, explaining the Palestinian refusal to participate in the conference, Fatah Revolutionary Council Secretary Majed Al-Fatiani said that Fatah's council "is committed to leading the struggle to stop the great plot that is being woven against our people." He implicitly threatened that Palestinians will turn to violence, using the Palestinian euphemism for violence and terror, stating that they will use "all means" available:
"Al-Fatiani said that 'Palestine is not for sale and Jerusalem is not up for negotiation, and our national rights and sacrifice throughout our history are not up for negotiation. The Palestinian people is not too helpless to use its means in order to stop the great plot. The cover given to the occupation from here and there will push our Palestinian people to protect its rights by all means available to it, in order to defeat the occupation and the settlement.'"
Official PA daily Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, June 13, 2019
"[Al-Fatiani] explained that the Revolutionary Council has a plan to deal with these challenges, and called on 'the Fatah members and the vital forces on the Palestinian lands to [dedicate] the 24th, 25th, and 26th [of June] to Palestine and Jerusalem, in order to express their rejection of the Bahrain Conference.'"
Official PA daily Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, June 13, 2019
PA Prime Minister Muhammad Shtayyeh has referred to the conference as a "conspiracy" and stated that it will be "stillborn":
"[PA] Prime Minister Muhammad Shtayyeh said: '... on behalf of the Martyrs, wounded, prisoners, and their family members, we say that the Manama Conference will be stillborn. I salute all parts of the Palestinian private sector - from Gaza to the West Bank - that have refused to participate in this conspiracy against our people.'"
Official PA daily Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, May 27, 2019
PM Shtayyeh has also criticized Trump for talking about the goal of the Bahrain Conference being to improve the economic situation of the Palestinians while Trump himself has cut the US aid to the PA:
"[PA] Prime Minister Muhammad Shtayyeh met... with German Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Niels Annen... and said: 'Our opposition to the Deal of the Century stems from the fact that [US President Donald] Trump's administration transferred the [US] embassy to Jerusalem, closed the PLO offices in Washington, and is waging an economic war that includes drying up the monetary resources of UNRWA (UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East) - so how it is possible to agree to this deal, while the steps he has implemented on the ground are worse than the expected phrasing of the Deal of the Century?'
The prime minister added: 'How can the Trump administration, which is waging an economic and political war against the PLO, organize the Manama Conference and claim that it is meant to improve the economic situation of the Palestinians?'"
Official PA daily Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, June 17, 2019
Among others, member of Fatah's Central Committee Abbas Zaki, and PLO Central Council member Omar Shehadeh participated in a meeting entitled The Holocaust of the Century in Bahrain... Its Signs, Consequences, and Ways to Deal With It. Palestinian leaders present emphasized that the Bahrain Conference is "a holocaust for the basic Arab principles and the Palestinians' rights," while the director of the meeting dubbed Trump's "Deal of the Century" "the Zionist-American Holocaust of the century" and alleged that the Bahrain Conference only pretends to seek economic prosperity for Palestinians but in reality is a cover for creating "normalization" with the Arab states:
"Director of the meeting and Tanweer Coordinator of Cultural Activities Dr. Yusuf Abd Al-Haq... added that in the shadow of th bye [Palestinian] national movement's weakness and the wretchedness of the Arab situation, the Zionist-American 'Holocaust of the century' has come to eliminate the Palestinian cause, and in order to pass this, it was necessary to convene the Bahrain conference for Arab normalization with the Israeli racism, under the cover of 'the illusion of economic prosperity' and skipping over the legitimate national rights that cannot be changed."
Al-Quds, June 12, 2019
The PLO too has called on everyone invited to the Bahrain Conference to refrain from participating:
"The PLO Executive Committee... called on all of the states and political and financial bodies that have been invited to the conference to respect the position of the Palestinian consensus and not participate in it. In a statement ... the committee emphasized that it has not authorized any group to hold negotiations on behalf of the Palestinian people. It called on all of the Arab states that have confirmed their participation in the workshop at Manama to reexamine their positions."
Official PA daily Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, May 27, 2019
The following are longer excerpts of the reports quoted above:
Headline: "The Fatah Revolutionary [Council]: Palestine is not for sale and Jerusalem is not up for negotiation - it demanded that everyone not participate in the Bahrain workshop"
"The Fatah Movement Revolutionary Council emphasized at the end of its meetings yesterday [June 12, 2019] its refusal to participate in the Bahrain conference (refers to US-led conference in late June 2019 focusing on economic aspects of US President Donald Trump's Middle East peace plan -Ed.), which is supposed to be held at the end of the month [June 2019] for the elimination of the Palestinian cause, and its support for the leadership in refusing to participate in this conference which is part of 'the deal of the century' (i.e., Trump's as yet unpublished Middle East peace plan) that strives to eliminate our cause.
Fatah Revolutionary Council Secretary Majed Al-Fatiani said at a press conference held at the end of the council's meetings: 'The Fatah Revolutionary [Council], as the motivating force of the struggle, is committed to leading the struggle to stop the great plot that is being woven against our people'...
He explained that 'The American administration has become a clear partner of the occupation... and any prosperity that comes under the auspices of this occupation is unacceptable.'
He said that 'The position of the Fatah Revolutionary Council and the [Fatah] Central Committee... is clear: No to the deal of disgrace and no to the Bahrain workshop; we have called on everyone who has announced that they are considering participating in this deal to refrain from doing so, as they are giving the American administration a green light to be an agent and mediator for the elimination of the Palestinian cause... We call on everyone to reject this workshop, and call on Bahrain to cancel it.'
Al-Fatiani said that 'Palestine is not for sale and Jerusalem is not up for negotiation, and our national rights and sacrifice throughout our history are not up for negotiation. The Palestinian people is not too helpless to use its means in order to stop the great plot. The cover given to the occupation from here and there will push our Palestinian people to protect its rights by all means available to it, in order to defeat the occupation and the settlement.'
He called: ...'The time has come for the Arab and Islamic voice to rise high. The shy statements of condemnation and support are no longer acceptable, as Palestine deserves that you implement what you agreed to, and that you not accept an agent that will appropriate your money and send crumbs here and there.
He called on the Arab states not to participate in the conference, and to act for its cancellation, and thanked all of the states, powers, political parties, and figures who have refused to participate in this conference...
He also said: 'The American administration's decisions are attempting to change the form of the occupation and perpetuate its control over the Palestinian lands. Israel is directly carrying out racial segregation and cleansing through the statements of the American settlement Ambassador [to Israel David] Friedman, and Friedman's words are clear proof of America's goal to erase the name Palestine.' ...
He explained that the Revolutionary Council has a plan to deal with these challenges, and called on 'the Fatah members and the vital forces on the Palestinian lands to [dedicate] the 24th, 25th, and 26th [of June] to Palestine and Jerusalem, in order to express their rejection of the Bahrain Conference.'"
[Official PA daily Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, June 13, 2019]
Posted text: "The program of popular activities against the workshop in Manama (refers to US-led conference to be held in Bahrain in late June 2019 focusing on economic aspects of US President Donald Trump's Middle East peace plan -Ed.) and the Deal of the Century (i.e., Trump's as yet unpublished Middle East peace plan).
Thanks to our people's resolve and perseverance, all of the plots will be thwarted."
Text on poster: "The program of activities against the Bahrain Conference and the Deal of the Century
On Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday, June 24, 25, and 26, 2019
An escalation of the confrontations with the Israeli occupation in all districts of the homeland as a sign of opposition to the Deal of the Century and the workshop in Manama
The Palestinian National Liberation Movement 'Fatah' - The Mobilization and Organization Commission, Information Office"
[Official Fatah Facebook page, June 16, 2019]
Headline: "Shtayyeh: The Manama Conference will be stillborn"
"[PA] Prime Minister Muhammad Shtayyeh said: 'In another few days a conference will be convened in Manama (refers to US-led conference to be held in Bahrain in late June 2019 focusing on economic aspects of US President Donald Trump's Middle East peace plan -Ed.), on the pretext of improving our people's living conditions. We have already seen dozens of conferences such as this, and they have all failed completely. Today, from Nablus, on behalf of the Martyrs, wounded, prisoners, and their family members, we say that the Manama Conference will be stillborn. I salute all parts of the Palestinian private sector - from Gaza to the West Bank - that have refused to participate in this conspiracy against our people.'
He said this during the mass fast-breaking meal that the Nablus branch of the Fatah Movement held in honor of the family members of the Martyrs and prisoners yesterday evening (Sunday) [May 26, 2019]."
[Official PA daily Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, May 27, 2019]
Headline: "The PLO emphasizes its firm opposition to the convening of the Manama Conference"
"The PLO Executive Committee emphasized its firm opposition to the convening of the Manama Conference (refers to US-led conference to be held in Bahrain in late June 2019 focusing on economic aspects of US President Donald Trump's Middle East peace plan -Ed.). It called on all of the states and political and financial bodies that have been invited to the conference to respect the position of the Palestinian consensus and not participate in it.
In a statement published at the end of the consultation meeting that it held yesterday [May 26, 2019] in Ramallah, the committee emphasized that it has not authorized any body to hold negotiations on behalf of the Palestinian people. It called on all of the Arab states that have confirmed their participation in the workshop at Manama to reexamine their positions...
The Executive Committee expressed its appreciation for the Palestinian consensus regarding the opposition to the American plans, whose goal is to replace the principle of 'land for peace' with the principle 'prosperity and money for peace.' [It also expressed its appreciation] for the adherence to the Palestinian people's legitimate and inalienable national rights, and prime among them the right to self-determination, the right to establish its independent state within the June 4, 1967 borders, and the right of return in accordance with [UN] General Assembly Resolution 194 (see note below -Ed.)."
[Official PA daily Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, May 27, 2019]
UN Resolution 194 (Chapter 11, Dec. 11, 1948) states that "refugees wishing to return to their homes and live at peace with their neighbors should be permitted to do so at the earliest practicable date, and that compensation should be paid for the property of those choosing not to return." Palestinian leaders argue this means that all Arabs who left Israel during the war (hundreds of thousands) and their descendants (a few million) have a "right of return" to Israel. Israel argues that the resolution only calls for a limited return and only under certain conditions, especially focusing on the words "wishing to return... and live at peace with their neighbors."
Headline: "Shtayyeh met with the German minister of state for foreign affairs and discussed the recent developments with him"
"[PA] Prime Minister Muhammad Shtayyeh met in his office in Ramallah yesterday [June 16, 2019] with German Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Niels Annen...
Shtayyeh again emphasized the Palestinian opposition to the Deal of the Century (refers to US President Donald Trump's as yet unpublished Middle East peace plan -Ed.), and said: 'Our opposition to the Deal of the Century stems from the fact that [US President Donald] Trump's administration transferred the [US] embassy to Jerusalem (see note below -Ed.), closed the PLO offices in Washington (see note below -Ed.), and is waging an economic war that includes drying up the monetary resources of UNRWA (UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East; see note below -Ed.) - so how it is possible to agree to this deal, while the steps he has implemented on the ground are worse than the expected phrasing of the deal of the century?'
The prime minister added: 'How can the Trump administration, which is waging an economic and political war against the PLO, organize the Manama Conference (refers to US-led conference to be held in Bahrain in late June 2019 focusing on economic aspects of Trump's Middle East peace plan -Ed.) and claim that it is meant to improve the economic situation of the Palestinians?'
Shtayyeh continued: 'We are not prepared to accept the tax money that is not in full (refers to Israel's Anti "Pay-for-Slay" Law to deduct terror salaries; see note below -Ed.) for two reasons, political and legal; agreeing to these deductions is an implied admission of funding terrorism, which will lead to putting the PA and the banks on trial.'"
[Official PA daily Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, June 17, 2019]
US recognition of Jerusalem as capital of Israel - On Dec. 6, 2017, US President Donald Trump formally recognized Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. Trump added that the final borders of Jerusalem will be determined during negotiations.
The US embassy was transferred from Tel Aviv and opened in Jerusalem on May 14, 2018, the anniversary of Israel's declaration of independence in 1948 according to the Gregorian calendar.
PLO US office closure - On Sept. 10, 2018,the US State Department announced the closure of the PLO US office, saying that there was no indication that the Palestinians had entered into meaningful negotiations with Israel. This was subsequent to the Trump administration announcing on Nov. 17, 2017, that the PLO has violated a 2015 Congressional mandate, which states that the PLO cannot operate an office in Washington if the Palestinians try to get the International Criminal Court to prosecute Israelis for crimes against the Palestinians. US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson determined that the Palestinians violated this mandate in September 2017, when PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas called on the International Criminal Court to investigate and prosecute Israelis while speaking at the UN.
US President Donald Trump's administration announced on Aug. 31, 2018 that it was immediately cutting all $360 million of annual American funding to UNRWA (UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East). Explaining the decision, the US State Department said, "The fundamental business model and fiscal practices that have marked UNRWA for years - tied to UNRWA's endlessly and exponentially expanding community of entitled beneficiaries - is simply unsustainable and has been in crisis mode for many years. The United States will no longer commit further funding to this irredeemably flawed operation."
The move came after the US froze two planned payments to UNRWA in early January 2018 for more than $100 million, and the US administration spoke about the need to reexamine and conduct a reform of the UN body. This occurred after the PA refused to negotiate with Israel and cut diplomatic ties with America following US recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital on Dec. 6, 2017.
Israel's Anti "Pay-for-Slay" Law - Israeli law stating that the PA payments to terrorists and the families of dead terrorists is a financial incentive to terror. The law instructs the state to deduct and freeze the amount of money the PA pays in salaries to imprisoned terrorists and families of "Martyrs" from the tax money Israel collects for the PA. Should the PA stop these payments for a full year, the Israeli government would have the option of giving all or part of the frozen money to the PA.
The law was enacted by the Israeli Parliament on July 2, 2018. During the parliamentary vote, the law's sponsor Avi Dichter said: “The Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee received much help in its deliberations... from Palestinian Media Watch who provided us with authentic data that enabled productive and professional deliberations, nuances that are very difficult to achieve without precise data.” [Israeli Parliament website, July 2, 2018] In accordance with the law, as of September 2021 Israel’s Security Cabinet had ordered the freeze of 1.857 billion shekels ($580.15 million) - the sum equivalent to the PA payments to terrorists in 2018, 2019, and 2020.
Headline: "During a meeting in Nablus - leaders and faction representatives: The Bahrain workshop is a holocaust for the basic Arab principles and the Palestinians' rights"
"Palestinian leaders and faction representatives emphasized that the 'Bahrain workshop' (refers to US-led conference in late June 2019 focusing on economic aspects of US President Donald Trump's Middle East peace plan -Ed.) will be tantamount to a holocaust for the Arab principles and Palestinian rights, and a starting point for the Deal of the Century (i.e., Trump's as yet unpublished Middle East peace plan) and for Arab normalization with the occupation...
Some of them think that our people and its leadership have not experienced a worse moment than now, considering the enormous scope of the plot, and because colonialism has taken on an unprecedented form under unprecedented circumstances, and due to the existence of an American administration the essence of whose policy is material, political, and military extortion; fully siding with Israel; and erasing the Palestinian rights, step by step.
This was said during a political meeting organized by the Palestinian cultural enlightenment forum Tanweer, in cooperation with the Union of Palestinian Women's Committees, under the title The Holocaust of the Century in Bahrain... Its Signs, Consequences, and Ways to Deal With It, and this is in reference to the Bahrain workshop that the US intends to hold in the Kingdom of Bahrain at the end of this June [2019].
At the meeting, which was held in the courtyard of the Nablus municipal library, Fatah Central Committee member Abbas Zaki, [former] Deputy [PA] Prime Minister of the 10th government (Ismail Haniyeh's government) [parentheses in source] Dr. Nasser Al-Shaer, and [PLO] Central Council member and Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) leader Omar Shehadeh spoke - and this was in the presence of a number of political and academic leaders, representatives, and activists from the district...
At the beginning of the meeting, the representative of the Committee of Palestinian Women Dr. Ismat Al-Shakhshir spoke... and pointed out the danger of the deal of the century and its Bahrain workshop, as a prelude to a new Sykes-Picot (Agreement; see note below -Ed.).
Director of the meeting and Tanweer Coordinator of Cultural Activities Dr. Yusuf Abd Al-Haq... added that in the shadow of the [Palestinian] national movement's weakness and the wretchedness of the Arab situation, the Zionist-American 'Holocaust of the century' has come to eliminate the Palestinian cause, and in order to pass this, it was necessary to convene the Bahrain conference for Arab normalization with the Israeli racism, under the cover of 'the illusion of economic prosperity' and skipping over the legitimate national rights that cannot be changed.
Abbas Zaki reviewed the racist and aggressive character of the occupation since Sykes-Picot and the division of the Arab world that arose from it, and the establishment of the occupation state with British colonialist support...
He noted that Trump is extorting the Gulf states and deluding them that he is defending them from the illusion of Iranian danger, and this pushed these states to exchange the conflict with the occupation for a conflict with Iran, and in this way to create a suitable environment for presenting the Deal of the Century...
[Former PA Deputy Prime Minister Dr. Nasser] Al-Shaer said that we are now bearing witness to American bullying, and the imperialism has already exposed its teeth and wants to swallow the world.
Al-Shaer praised the Palestinian position regarding the Deal of the Century, and described it as an 'honorable position' on the part of the [PA] Presidential Office, on the part of the [national] factions, and on the part of Hamas, and joint and united action is necessary to deal with this deal... He called for a national conference to be held, and to establish a joint front that will express a clear position against this deal...
[PLO Central Council member and PFLP leader Omar Shehadeh] added that our national path must be seriously reevaluated, and that the Palestinian leadership must extricate itself from the trap of Oslo and implement the decisions of the [PLO] Central Council and the [Palestinian] National Council (i.e., the legislative body of the PLO) from 2015, including revoking the recognition of the occupation state, boycotting it, cancelling the security coordination, and serious implementation of popular resistance."
[Al-Quds, June 12, 2019]
Sykes-Picot Agreement – A secret agreement between Britain and France negotiated by French diplomat François Georges-Picot and Briton Sir Mark Sykes and concluded in May 1916. The agreement had Russia’s approval and specified Britain’s and France’s proposed spheres of influence and control in the Middle East if the Ottoman Empire was defeated in World War I.
The plan was revealed in 1917 in the Russian press, and subsequently in the British press, angering the Arabs as it contradicted promises of independence made to them - on the condition they helped fight against and bring down the Ottoman Empire. The plan caused lasting distrust on the part of the Arabs in relation to Western countries.