TEL AVIV – Thousands of Palestinians took to the streets Tuesday to protest President Donald Trump’s recently unveiled peace plan amid a failed bid by the Palestinians to pass a UN resolution opposing the plan.
The demonstration in Ramallah’s Al-Manara square comes ahead of a planned speech at the U.N. by Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas to discuss the peace plan.
On Monday, Palestinian officials denied nixing a bid for a draft resolution at the Security Council opposing the American proposal, entitled Vision for Peace. However, various officials have confirmed member states, including European countries, did not support the text of the resolution, which was drafted by Tunisia and Indonesia.
Even without the U.S.’ veto, the resolution was said to have not garnered enough support by other member states, prompting Abbas to pull it at the last minute in an attempt to save face.
Tuesday’s protesters held banners slamming the peace deal, with slogans including,”We are not asking for anything that isn’t ours: Freedom, Dignity and Justice,” and another that read “Trump is part of the problem not the solution,” while another dubbed the so-called deal of the century the “theft of the century.”
Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammed Shtayyeh addressed the crowd.
“All Palestinian people and all the factions, national and Islamic, are standing behind President Mahmoud Abbas,” he said.
“All the streets are full,” he added. “This is the Palestinian response.”
Meanwhile in Gaza, reports emerged that the various terror groups have decided to halt airborne incendiary attacks as well as rocket attacks launched into Israel in response to Trump’s plan, in the wake of a meeting in the coastal enclave between Hamas leaders and an Egyptian delegation.