Arab countries and world leaders react to Middle East peace plan

Palestinian protesters wave the national flag and a portrait of president Mahmoud Abbas during a demonstration in the West Bank city of Ramallah. (AFP)
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Updated 29 January 2020
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Arab countries and world leaders react to Middle East peace plan

  • Jordan says it supports every genuine effort aimed at achieving just and comprehensive peace

As the world digested the details from the Middle East peace plan announced by Donald Trump on Tuesday, responses from the region ranged from optimism to outright anger. 
Here are the key responses to the plan:

JORDAN
“Jordan supports every genuine effort aimed at achieving just and comprehensive peace that people will accept," Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi said, adding that the only path to a comprehensive and lasting peace was the establishment of an independent Palestinian state based on 1967 lines and with East Jerusalem as its capital.

EGYPT
The Egyptian Foreign Ministry issued a statement favoring a solution that restores “all the legitimate rights” of the Palestinian people through establishing an “independent and sovereign state on the occupied Palestinian territories.” Egypt said it appreciates US efforts to resolve the conflict, and urged Israelis and Palestinians to “carefully study” the Mideast peace plan.

UAE
The UAE’s Ambassador to Washington issued a statement affirming the belief in the possibility of a “lasting peace and genuine coexistence”, stating that “the peace plan announced today offers an important starting point for a return to negotiations within a U.S-led international framework.”

UNITED NATIONS:
U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres says the United Nations remains committed to realizing the vision of two states “living side by side in peace and security.” A spokesperson reaffirmed the UN position on the illegality of Israeli settlements in the West Bank and called for a solution based on the pre-1967 borders.

EUROPEAN UNION:
High Representative Josep Borrell said the EU will “study and assess the proposals”, adding that this will be done on the basis of the established EU position. This position respects all relevant UN resolutions and takes into account the legitimate aspirations of both the Palestinians and the Israelis. Most European capitals have expressed support for the negotiated solution. 

UK

"Only the leaders of Israel and the Palestinian territories can determine whether these proposals can meet the needs and aspirations of the people they represent," Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said. "We encourage them to give these plans genuine and fair consideration, and explore whether they might prove a first step on the road back to negotiations."

RUSSIA

"We must enter direct negotiations to reach a mutually acceptable compromise. We do not know if the American proposal is mutually acceptable or not. We must wait for the reaction of the parties," Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov said.

IRAN
The shameful peace plan imposed by America on the Palestinians is the treason of the century and doomed to fail," the foreign ministry said.

TURKEY 

The United States' so-called peace plan is stillborn," Turkey's foreign ministry said in a statement. "This is an annexation plan aimed at killing a two-state solution and extorting the Palestinian territory,"


Syrian authorities find remains of five victims of Assad regime

Updated 58 min 48 sec ago
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Syrian authorities find remains of five victims of Assad regime

  • The remains of the individuals were scattered on open ground near a house in the village of Al-Qashla, near Manbij

LONDON: Syrian authorities completed the recovery of the remains of at least five individuals in eastern Aleppo province, believed to have died due to the brutal practices of the deposed Bashar Assad regime.

The Syrian Civil Defense found the remains of individuals scattered on open ground near a house in the village of Al-Qashla, near Manbij, according to the Syrian Arab News Agency.

They have been surveying and investigating the area since Monday, when the first report of human remains came through, in coordination with the National Authority for the Missing.

Authorities have found multiple mass graves in Syria since the fall of the Assad regime in December 2024.

Last week, authorities reported that the remains of 14 individuals were found in the Adra industrial area, northeast of Damascus, during excavation for mill foundations in the area.

According to the Syrian Network for Human Rights, nearly 177,000 people have been forcibly disappeared in Syria since March 2011.