(New York, NY. 02/04/2020) – Last week Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu revealed a plan for Israel to annex large swathes of land in the West Bank, Palestine under the guise of a peace plan. This “Deal of the Century” as they call it, completely undermines the Palestinian narrative, struggle, and aspirations. Devised under Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner in collaboration with the Israeli PM, Benjamin Netanyahu, this plan offers no intention for peace or improvement for Palestinian conditions and remains a ploy for Netanyahu’s re-election. Kushner has publicly stated on multiple occasions that Israel should wait to annex Palestinian territories until after the elections in March.
This plan remains an insult to diplomacy and reinforces the role of imperialist interference in matters of sovereignty and the struggle for freedom. Majlis Ash-Shura: Islamic Leadership Council of New York, umbrella organization of over 90 mosques and Muslim-led organizations, unequivocally rejects this plan in its entirety and deems it a plan to liquidate the Palestinian struggle by expanding settler colonialism and the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians from Palestine.
We ask our community to remain united on this issue, to resist against American-Israeli aggressions on Palestinians through international efforts such as BDS, and condemn this deal in every capacity. Just as this deal compromises all efforts of peace, we cannot compromise with public officials who endorse such assaults to human rights and diplomacy. We ask you to keep the Palestinians and all other communities struggling under oppressive regimes in your prayers and conscience.