JERUSALEM – US officials working on a Middle East peace plan have askedPalestinian president Mahmud Abbas about forming a confederation withJordan, Abbas told activists Sunday, according to one of them.
Abbas recounted the conversation he had with White House aides JaredKushner and Jason Greenblatt during a meeting with Israeli peace activistsin Ramallah, said Hagit Ofran of the Peace Now NGO, who attended.
According to Ofran, Abbas said he told the US officials he would only beinterested if Israel was also part of such a confederation.
It was not clear when the conversation took place, though Abbas hasdeclined to meet with the White House since US President Donald Trump srecognition of Jerusalem as Israel s capital in December.
Abbas s office confirmed Sunday s meeting with the peace activists, but notthe comments on the confederation.
Israeli media also reported Abbas s comments on the confederation proposal.Ofran said Abbas did not go into further detail.
A Palestinian-Jordan confederation has been favoured by some on the Israeliright as a way to avoid granting full state status to the Palestinians fornow.
In such an arrangement, Israel could also avoid taking responsibility forthe some 3.5 million Palestinians in the occupied West Bank.
Abbas s response was essentially a way of torpedoing the proposal sinceIsrael would likely not agree to join such an arrangement, Ofran told AFP.
“He did say that Kushner and Greenblatt came to him and asked would youagree to a confederation with Jordan ,” Ofran said, stressing she wasparaphrasing his remarks.
“And he said, I will agree to a confederation with Jordan and with Israelonly. ”
Abbas meets occasionally with Israeli peace activists and left-wingpoliticians.
Sunday s meeting included members of Peace Now and other organisations, aswell as two Israeli parliament members.
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Palestinian leaders see US President Donald Trump s administration asblatantly biased in favour of Israel.
In addition to the Jerusalem recognition, Washington last week announced itwas ending funding for the UN agency for Palestinian refugees.
The previous week, it announced it was cancelling more than $200 million inbilateral aid to the Palestinians.
Trump has pledged to unveil a plan for Israeli-Palestinian peace, saying hewanted to reach the “ultimate deal”.
His son-in-law Kushner has been among those working on the plan.
Ofran said Abbas also spoke of the right of return for Palestinian refugeesduring Sunday s meeting, long a major issue in peace efforts.
She said Abbas told the meeting that he would not push for a solution forrefugees that would “destroy Israel,” but for a compromise that could beagreed upon.
More than 750,000 Palestinians fled or were expelled during the 1948 warsurrounding Israel s creation.
They and their descendants are now classified as refugees and Palestinianleaders continue to call for at least some of them to be allowed to returnto their former homes now inside Israel.
Israel says Palestinians must give up the so-called right of return. -APP/AFP
