Al-Salhi: Sanctions must be eased on Gaza to face the 'Deal of the Century'

Bassam Al-Salhi, a member of the executive committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), said that “neither Israel nor the United States wants a Palestinian state. They do not talk about a Palestinian state. They are rather discussing re-occupation and siege in new language”.

Al-Salhi said, in a statement on Thursday, that “Israel and the United States want only a canton of their own, under their complete control, which will result in annulling the sovereignty of the Palestinian people. They want their canton to be in Gaza mainly and perhaps in some limited areas in the West Bank”.

Asked about the measures that have been taken concerning Gaza and how far the deal of the century serves and facilitates its passage, Al-Salhi said: “Quite simply, the actions affecting Gaza must be nullified, and this is a confirmed decision in the National Assembly”.

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Thus, the committee member added that “the lifting of these measures strengthens the national and popular position in rejecting the “Deal of the Century,” and cuts the way for any attempts to exploit this issue, claiming that Israel and the United States are looking for humanitarian solutions to Gaza”.

The Israeli Maariv quoted a source in the Israeli military and security establishment, on Thursday, as saying that an attempt had been made to find a mechanism for transferring funds to Gaza that would bypass the Palestinian Authority and without Hamas’s supervision so as toensure that the money would not reach the movement.

Hence, Al-Salhi asserted that, “the problem in Gaza is a problem of siege and occupation, as well as division, which is the danger that is used to hit the Palestinian cause. There must be a priority to neutralize people’s issues apart from the political dispute, and implement the decisions of the National Council. Nevertheless, salaries must be repaid and other issues need to be solved”.

He also stressed the need to focus on a unified position against the US project aimed at the elimination of the Palestinian cause.