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Palestinians hope EU can help thwart Trump ‘deal’

May 8, 2019 at 10:47 am

Palestinian Authority’s observer at the UN, Riyadh Mansour [Wikipedia]

The Palestinians are “asking the European Union to pick up the mantle in defence of the two-state solution” in light of the upcoming Trump administration’s “peace plan”, reported AFP, citing remarks by Palestinian diplomat Riyad Mansour to journalists yesterday.

UN envoy Mansour “told reporters that he urged European officials during recent meetings in Brussels to seize the initiative and not allow the United States to be the preeminent player in the Middle East peace process”.

“We are engaging them,” Mansour said about his meetings with EU officials. “They have to act.”

“We would be extremely happy to show that there is more than one player in the field, trying to determine how we move forward.”

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Mansour told the media that the Palestinians have “a global consensus with us” supporting a two-state solution, and suggested the EU could call an international conference “to see how we can open ways to move forward” based on that consensus.

The ambassador also said the EU could help save the two-state solution by having members such as France, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Ireland, Belgium and Luxembourg recognise the state of Palestine.

Other options, according to Mansour, would be for Russia to host an international conference in Moscow, or for a meeting of the Quartet (UN, US, EU and Russia).

“Some in the [US] administration think, yes, what will help peace is break the legs of the Palestinians and one arm, and five teeth … and when they are on their faces on the ground crawling, they will come crawling to you for anything that you can offer them,” Mansour added.

“Those who think that way — they don’t know the Palestinians,” he said.

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