PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas on Tuesday proposed a new peace plan at the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) that tackles core issues which have foiled peace efforts over the past few decades.
Speaking at the UNSC Abbas has called for an international peace conference to convene by mid-2018 in order to restart the stalled Israeli-Palestinian talks.
“The plan calls for holding an international peace conference in the mid 2018 that is based on international resolutions and with a wide international participation that includes both the Palestinian and Israeli sides as well as the active regional and international parties similar to the Paris peace conference or the Moscow conference called for based on resolution 1850” he said.
He said the outcomes of the conference must include the acceptance of the State of Palestine as a full member state at the UN and seeking the security council to achieve that mutual recognition of statehood between Palestine and Israel on the borders of 1967 the formation of a multilateral international mechanism that aids the two sides in negotiations to solve all permanent status issues according to the Oslo Accords and the implementation of what is agreed upon within a specified period of time while providing guarantees for implementation.
The plan according to his statements includes refraining from all unilateral moves during negotiations especially those which affect the results of the final solution most importantly settlement activities in the occupied Palestinian territories in 1967 including East Jerusalem and freezing of the decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and stopping the embassy transfer to Jerusalem.
The peace plan also stipulates the implementation of the Arab Peace initiative as adopted and signing a regional agreement when reaching a peace deal between the Palestinians and Israelis he added.
On the other hand he said that the Palestinian Authority becomes an Authority without authority and the occupation has become one without cost and that Israel must uphold its obligations as an occupying Power.
He also renewed his past rhetoric of rejecting violence and accepting negotiations with Israel are the only way forward.
“We believe negotiations are the only path towards peace so how can we reject negotiations?” he said.
Abbas spoke during a political climate that saw tensions reach a boiling point after the US’ recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel last December.
The move led the Palestinian leadership to reject the role of the US as an honest broker in negotiations with Israel.
