‘Give peace a chance’: Saudi paper urges Palestinians to consider Trump plan

The editor-in-chief of a Saudi newspaper is urging Palestinians to keep an open mind toward the Trump administration’s Mideast peace plan.

By World Israel News and AP

Arab News editor-in-chief Faisal J. Abbas wrote on Wednesday in his publication that U.S. President Donald Trump’s “deal of the century” Middle East peace plan may reverse course for the Palestinians in a positive way and make peace more possible.

The column ran as Palestinians held their annual “nakba” demonstrations protesting the establishment of the Jewish state 71 years ago.

Writing in Arab News, Abbas attributed some of the Palestinians’ “lost” land to unsuccessful “wars Arabs tried to wage on Israel,” claiming that “many opportunities for peace were missed because of internal Palestinian rifts, Arab rejection or Israeli intransigence.”

According to Abbas, “the Jared Kushner peace plan” has the potential to “reverse the situation and make peace more possible and less remote.”

Among the plan’s features Abbas identified are a two-state solution providing an independent Palestinian nation state. Abbas also claimed Saudi Arabia will not attempt to force the deal on the Palestinians.

Abbas added, “It would clearly be wrong [for the Palestinians] to reach a final judgment without seeing the whole plan. However, it is also the definition of insanity to repeatedly do the same thing and expect a different result; for 70 years, every time the Arabs have said ‘no’ the Palestinians have lost more land, more rights and more opportunities.”

Referring to the peace plan as potentially “the last chance to secure a two-state solution,” Abbas concluded, “Bottom line: Let us give peace a chance.”

Saudi Arabia