PA Deputy Prime Minister speaks out against "normalization" with Israel and promises an end to Israeli "settlements"
Headline: “Abu Rudeina: Nothing will pass or be carried out at our people’s expense”
“[PA Deputy Prime Minister and] official [PA] Presidential Spokesman Nabil Abu Rudeina said that the normalization (refers to Israeli normalization agreement with Sudan following similar agreements with the UAE and Bahrain; see note below –Ed.), the deal of the century (i.e., US President Donald Trump’s Middle East peace plan), and the annexation plan are all unacceptable, and that nothing will pass or be carried out at the Palestinian people’s expense. He noted that the leadership will take the appropriate steps at the appropriate time, and will act on all levels.
Abu Rudeina added in an interview with [the official PA] radio [station] The Voice of Palestine yesterday [Oct. 24, 2020]… that normalization is offensive and unacceptable not just because it contradicts the Arab laws and the international institutions’ resolutions, but also because it bypasses the Palestinian people. He emphasized that the permanent Palestinian message is that no one has the right to speak on behalf of our people…
Abu Rudeina noted that the American administration is continuing to provide free services to Israel, and that everything that comes from any Arab state will not change the Palestinian principles. He also said that peace will only be achieved with the agreement of our people and its leadership…
On everything regarding the escalation of the settlement assault, Abu Rudeina said: ‘The only weapon is the Palestinian people’s resolve. No stone will remain on [another] stone in any settlement in the Palestinian territories.Just as the settlements were evacuated from the Gaza Strip, they will be completely evacuated from the West Bank. Israel, the US, and the international community have understood that the only way is the legal Palestinian government and the international institutions.’”
Nabil Abu Rudeina also serves as PA Minister of Information, Fatah Commissioner of Information, Culture, and Ideology, and Fatah Central Committee member.
Israeli peace agreements with the UAE and Bahrain
The Trump peace plan – US President Donald Trump announced his Israel–Palestinian peace plan "Peace to Prosperity" – commonly known as “the deal of the century” - on Jan. 28, 2020. Main points of the plan: 1- Israeli sovereignty would be applied to the Jordan Valley and all Israeli towns and cities in the West Bank. 2- Jerusalem, including all its holy sites, would remain under Israeli sovereignty with accommodations made to enable access for Palestinians. 3- The remainder of the West Bank, the Gaza Strip, and part of what is currently Israeli land in the Negev, the Galilee, and Jerusalem - creating a territory almost equal in size to the West Bank and Gaza Strip - would form the Palestinian state, with its capital in neighborhoods in East Jerusalem that are outside of Israel's security wall. 4- The Palestinian state would be demilitarized, with Israel responsible for external security and controlling all airspace. 5- All Palestinian prisoners except murderers, and those who attempted or conspired to murder would be released. 6- Palestinians in refugee camps would be absorbed into their host countries and, subject to certain limitations, into the Palestinian state. 7- Before becoming a state, the Palestinians would have to carry out extensive reform of their laws and institutions, including implementing a new governing system; granting its people due process and basic human rights and freedoms; end all incitement to and incentivizing of terror; end all glorification of terror and martyrdom; disarm Hamas; and adopt a culture promoting peace. The goal of the plan is to create a Palestinian state beside Israel, living in peace and security. The implementation would be facilitated through extensive international investment.