TEL AVIV – Saudi Arabia told Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas that he must either accept a proposal being drafted by the Trump administration aimed at reaching a final status solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict or resign, Israel’s Channel 10 reported.
The New York Times on Saturday cited analysts and U.S. officials saying that the plan, being drawn up by Special Middle East Envoy Jason Greenblatt, President Donald Trump’s son-in-law and senior adviser Jared Kushner, Deputy National Security Adviser for Strategy Dina Powell and U.S. Ambassador to Israel David Friedman, will attempt to address “perennial dividing points” such as the status of Jerusalem and West Bank settlements.
During a trip to Cairo, Abbas was suddenly summoned to Riyadh last week by King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman.
As well as being ordered to “accept Trump’s peace plan or quit,” Abbas was also instructed to stay away from any bait the Iranians might use on the Palestinians.
The Saudis have expressed concern over Hamas’s growing ties with Iran, most recently demonstrated by a visit to Tehran from a Hamas delegation led by deputy political leader and terror chief Saleh al-Arouri in October.
According to Haaretz, Abbas has Saudi Arabia’s full backing in his party Fatah’s dispute with Hamas over the recently signed reconciliation deal, particularly in seeing the Gaza-based terror group disarmed.
“Coordinating positions with the Saudis is most vital because it means coordination with most of the Gulf States that can provide the PA [Palestinian Authority] with an economic safety net,” a Palestinian official told Haaretz.
The Saudis also told Abbas that any support for Hezbollah from within his Fatah party would not be tolerated. The Saudi leadership has called for an international coalition to fight what it says is a ‘Satanic’ terror group and has accused both Hezbollah and Iran of “acts of war” on Riyadh.
Meanwhile, the PA’s official daily Al-Hayat Al-Jadida has been echoing Saudi Arabia’s stance on Iran.
“Iranian interference is not aimed at liberating Palestine or promoting Palestinian interests; rather, its main goal is to achieve hegemony and control,” an editorial that was published during Abbas’ visit to Riyadh said.
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