- Title: In West Bank, Palestinians and Israeli settlers polarised on Trump peace plan
- Date: 24th January 2020
- Summary: JORDAN VALLEY, WEST BANK (RECENT) (REUTERS) BULLDOZER DEMOLITION CONSTRUCTION AT BEDUIN VILLAGE IN JORDAN VALLEY ISRAELI SOLDIERS SCUFFLING WITH PALESTINIAN PALESTINIANS THROWING ROCKS AT ISRAELI SOLDIERS ISRAELI SOLDIERS DETAINING PALESTINIAN MAN WORKERS TAKING DOWN A CONSTRUCTION ISRAELI SOLDIER ARGUING WITH PALESTINIAN BEDOUIN MAN PALESTINIAN BEDOUIN WOMAN AT SCENE HOLDING CHILD ARIEL SETTLEMENT, WEST BANK (JANUARY 24, 2020) (REUTERS) SETTLERS AT SHOPPING CENTER VARIOUS OF MAN READING NEWSPAPER (SOUNDBITE) (English) ARIEL SETTLEMENT RESIDENT, REUVEN FAGAN, SAYING: "I hope it will materialize and I hope that he will definitely give recognition of the settlements on the West Bank and also be annexed to Israel just as he gave recognition to the Golan Heights and I am very optimistic." VARIOUS OF PEOPLE WALKING IN SHOPPING CENTER (SOUNDBITE) (English) ARIEL SETTLEMENT RESIDENT, SHIKMA GANZEN, SAYING: "I worried about this plan because I saw in my experience that every new plan get bad results for the Israelis and because of that I am not very happy about that." VARIOUS OF VIEW OF ARIEL SETTLEMENT KIFL HARES, WEST BANK (JANUARY 24, 2020) (REUTERS) VIEW OF ARIEL SETTLEMENT FROM KFL HARES VILLAGE IN THE WEST BANK (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) PALESTINIAN RESIDENT OF VILLAGE THAT LOOK OUT ON ARIEL SETTLEMENT, FATHY BWZYEH, SAYING: "He wants to announce the 'Deal of the Century' so he would solve the Palestinian cause as he claims, between the Israelis and the Palestinians, and that shows stupidity because the Palestinian people and the Palestinian leadership has announced many times that it won't be accepting and it will fully refuse the deal of the century. In addition to that, the right in Israel, the right Israeli parties, the right parties leaders refuse this deal." MARDA, WEST BANK (JANUARY 24, 2020) (REUTERS) VIEW OF ARIEL SETTLEMENT FROM MADRA VILLAGE (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) PALESTINIAN RESIDENT OF MADRA VILLAGE, NASFAT AL-KHUFASH, SAYING: "This deal aims to end the Palestinian cause and our national demands. This deal will not pass and will not be accepted by our people, who are fighters, steadfast, resistant, who face the settlement expansions and everyday prove that this land is Palestinian and it will not go to Israel."
- Embargoed: 7th February 2020 17:34
- Keywords: Israel Palestinians Peace plan Trump settlements
- Location: JORDAN VALLEY, ARIEL SETTLEMENT, BEITAR ILLIT, RAMAT SHLOMO, KIFL HARES, MARDA, WEST BANK
- City: JORDAN VALLEY, ARIEL SETTLEMENT, BEITAR ILLIT, RAMAT SHLOMO, KIFL HARES, MARDA, WEST BANK
- Country: Palestinian Territories
- Reuters ID: LVA001BXJ7FBB
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Palestinians in the Israeli-occupied West Bank condemned U.S. President Donald Trump's peace efforts on Friday (January 24), while some Israeli settlers said they were "optimistic" it would lead to Washington recognising Israel's sovereignty there.
Trump invited Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his chief rival centrist former general Benny Gantz to the White House next week, saying he would unveil a plan for Israeli-Palestinian peace in the coming days.
Peace talks collapsed in 2014 and Palestinians have called Trump's proposal dead in the water, even before its publication, citing what they say as his pro-Israel policies.
Palestinians have been alarmed by pledges by Netanyahu and other Israeli politicians that they would annex Jewish settlements in the West Bank, territory Israel captured in the 1967 Middle East war which Palestinians seek for a future state.
In the central West Bank village of Kfl Hares, which is overlooked by the settlement of Ariel, Palestinians slammed Trump's plan.
"That shows stupidity because the Palestinian people and the Palestinian leadership has announced many times that it won't be accepting and it will fully refuse the deal of the century," said Fathy Bwzyeh, resident of the village.
But in neighbouring Ariel, Israeli settlers voiced delight with Trump's peace efforts.
Reuven Fagan, a settler from Ariel, said he hopes Trump will "give recognition of the settlements in the West Bank," adding that he is "very optimistic".
Some Israelis were less encouraging, however. Shima Ganzen, also an Ariel resident, said she was worried about Trump's plan "because every new plan gets bad results for Israelis".
Palestinians and most of the international community see settlements as illegal under the 1949 Geneva Conventions that bar populating land captured in war.
Israel disputes this, citing historical, biblical and political connections to the land, as well as security needs.
(Production: Rami Amichai, Ashraf abu Shawish, Adel abu Nemeh, Rami Ayyub, Suheir Sheikh) - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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