WASHINGTON, Jan 30 (NNN-MEM) – There is no doubt that Palestinians in the Occupied Territories and millions of their compatriots living in squalid refugee camps in neighbouring countries will be appalled that the Trump administration has announced a process to extinguish their legitimate rights by gifting the occupying colonial regime with its “deal of the century.”
This so-called “peace plan” displays open contempt for UN Security Council Resolutions, as did the US President, when he handed to Israel complete control of Jerusalem and sovereignty over Syria’s Golan Heights last year.
Donald Trump has now stripped Palestinians of all of their rights, as enshrined in international laws and conventions. The legitimate Right of Return of Palestinian refugees; the right to freedom; the right to justice; and the right to equality and dignity are all sacrosanct, and yet they have just been trampled on by Trump, in collusion with the Zionist zealot, Netanyahu.
Unsurprisingly, the politics of patronage for racist Israel dominated Trump’s “historic moment.” Riding roughshod over Palestinian lives and rights has defined the Trump administration’s reprehensible disregard for civilised human values.
Such conduct is consistent with that of his Israeli partners, who have for seven decades and more, resorted to gross human rights violations, including ethnic cleansing, mass murder, collective punishment, occupation, detention without trial and Apartheid.
Notwithstanding his mockery of humane values, Trump’s determination to endear himself to Zionist racism has driven him to tear down what remains of his own tattered reputation. The bravado which accompanied his latest betrayal of Palestine has not only brought shame to America, but also exposed the hypocrisy of US allies in Europe and the Middle East. Their inability to challenge his repugnant abuse of power, is confirmation of their supportive role in allowing Israel’s persecution and oppression of the people of occupied Palestine to continue.
The irony of the timing of this “peace plan” has not been lost. Minutes before the Trump circus started in Washington, reports confirmed that Israeli Prime Minister, Netanyahu has been formally indicted on charges of bribery, fraud and breach of trust, in three separate corruption cases.
Concurrently, of course, Trump himself faces the axe, as his impeachment trial gathers momentum. Whether the case against him is flimsy or not, the fact is that his reputation is damaged severely and his position is compromised.
This article was originally published in Middle East Monitor on January 30, 2020.
*Opinions expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect the views of UMMnews.
