Scorn for US peace plan brings Hamas, Hezbollah closer
Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah is calling for a Palestinian-Lebanese dialogue to counter the US peace plan, an approach welcomed by Hamas and Islamic Jihad.
RAMALLAH, West Bank — As confidence in the Donald Trump administration's Middle East peace plan appears to be faltering, even in the United States, cooperation for challenging the deal seems to be growing among Palestinian factions, Lebanese Hezbollah and other critics.
The United States has scheduled an “economic workshop” for June 25-26 in Manama, Bahrain, where aspects of the so-called deal of the century are to be presented. The Palestinians, who were not consulted on the meeting or on the peace plan generally, plan to boycott it. The list of attendees remains tentative.
In a May 31 speech marking International Quds (Jerusalem) Day, the annual event initiated by Iran to show support for the Palestinians, Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah remarked, “It is possible to push the deal of the century to failure, and we are pushing for this outcome. The axis of resistance will stand against the deal of the century.”
Days earlier, in a May 25 speech on Lebanon's Liberation Day, Nasrallah had called for a Palestinian-Lebanese dialogue to oppose the peace plan. He stated, “There is a common interest at the Lebanese national level as the Lebanese people reject naturalization [of Palestinians in Lebanon]. This is a shared sentiment, as the Palestinians are also opposed to naturalization and want to preserve their right to return.”
