Palestine

Hamas rejects any US plan to resettle the Palestinian refugees

images_News_2014_02_01_Baraka-0_300_0Hamas representative in Lebanon Ali Baraka reiterated his Movement’s rejection of any US plan to resettle the Palestinian refugees and find an alternative homeland for them.

In a press release, Baraka warned against any US peace solutions, saying they are aimed at liquidating the Palestinian cause and obliterating the right of return.

The Hamas official called on the Lebanese government to provide the Palestinian refugees in the country with the civil rights enshrined in international law and secure a decent life for them.

In another context, Martin Indyk, the US envoy to the Israeli-Palestinian negotiations, said that the US-drafted framework agreement that would be presented soon to the Palestinian and Israeli sides would allow about 80 percent of the Jewish settlers in the West Bank to stay in their settlements under Israel’s sovereignty.

Indyk told heads of the Jewish community in the US on Thursday that the framework agreement was drafted by the White House in order for both sides to confront their internal pressures and would include points they could not dare to say.

The US envoy also said that both sides would not be surprised at the contents of the agreement because it crystalized after long consultations with Israeli premier Benjamin Netanyahu and Mahmoud Abbas.

He stressed that Netanyahu and Abbas would have to accept the US-drafted agreement as a basis for continued negotiations, but they still could make reservations on some of its points.

The US official expressed his belief that Abbas would allow Jewish settlers to remain as citizens of the Palestinian state if they wanted to.

Indyk did not talk about the status of Jerusalem if both sides signed the agreement, but he highlighted some other sensitive issues such as the security arrangement for the border between Jordan and the West Bank.

He explained that a new security zone would be created, with new fences, sensors and unmanned aircrafts.

The US-made deal would address compensation for Jews from Arab lands as well as compensation for Palestinian refugees, according to him.

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