Islamuddin Sajid
January 29, 2020•Update: January 30, 2020
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan
The Afghan Taliban condemned Wednesday the so-called "Deal of the Century" floated by U.S. President Donald Trump for Palestinian and Israeli peace as a clear violation of Palestinian rights.
"President Donald Trump announced a ‘Deal of the Century’ outlining a peace plan for the issue of Palestine in which eastern Bait al Maqdis [Al-Aqsa Mosque], the Jordan valley and the large usurped lands of Palestine, including the illegal Israeli settlements, were to become a part of Israel," said spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid.
The group, which is fighting U.S. forces in Afghanistan, is currently engaged with top American envoy Zalmay Khalilzad on a peace deal in Qatar to find a way for ending the 19-year conflict in Afghanistan.
Mujahid said the group supports the Palestinians, and enshrines the Al-Aqsa Mosque as the first qibla of the Muslims and Palestine as the rightful homeland for its people.
The qibla is the direction to which Muslims face when praying.
"As the Palestinian people called this peace plan a conspiracy and a foolish proposal, the Islamic emirate [the name used by Afghan Taliban] back the oppressed Palestinians in their call," Mujahid said.
"Such misleading and tyrannical steps and plans will only pour fuel on the fire of war in the Middle East," he warned and urged Islamic countries and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation to fulfill their responsibility and resist the so-called deal which is affecting the entire Muslim community.
Trump released his oft-delayed plan to end the Israel-Palestine dispute Tuesday at the White House where Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was present but Palestinian authorities were not. Trump referred to Jerusalem as "Israel's undivided capital."
Several groups and countries, including all Palestinian factions, Iran, Jordan, Yemen and Turkey, have condemned the so-called peace plan.
