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Abu Dis to be Palestine capital under 'deal of the century'

A view for a part of Israel's separation barrier in the West Bank town of Abu Dis on June 4,2011 [Mahfouz Abu Turk/Apaimages]

A senior Israeli source has revealed that Abu Dis would be the capital of any future Palestinian state under the “deal of the century”.

According to a report by Israeli newspaper Makor Rishon yesterday, preparations are being made to unilaterally hand over Abu Dis – a district of Jerusalem located beyond Israel’s Separation Wall – to the Palestinian Authority (PA). The PA is expected to reject this step.

Abu Dis is classified as part of Area B under the Oslo Accords, meaning it is under civil and administrative sovereignty of the PA but security control of Israel.

The newspaper reported that PA President Mahmoud Abbas in 2018 refused a US and Israeli offer to withdraw from Abu Dis in order for it to become the Palestinian capital.

In December 2017, the US unilaterally recognised Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and, in May 2018, officially relocated its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

Although the “deal of the century” has not yet been revealed, a number of leaks have been exposed. This has led to the conclusion that the deal will be biased in Israel’s favour at the expense of Palestinian aspirations and historic rights.

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