Palestinian FM says Trump seeks peace in the Middle East

The Palestinian foreign minister stated that President Donald Trump of the US seeks peace in the Middle East, indicating an escalation of US diplomatic activity, France 24 reported on June 26th.

Varsen Aghabekian remarked during a conversation with France 24 that Trump is “eager” to establish peace in the area. Aghabekian also emphasised that the Palestinian-Israeli dispute is not a conflict one can ignore, and condemned the “genocidal war” on Gaza.

The Palestinian foreign minister, speaking from Ramallah in the West Bank, appealed for the rescheduling of a United Nations event on Palestinian statehood, which was co-sponsored by Saudi Arabia and France. The event was deferred earlier in June due to tensions between Israel and Iran. Aghabekian declared she hoped the event could occur in “the coming weeks.”

Aghabekian asserted that Israel has made it obvious that it plans to “make Gaza Jewish again” by using the method of annexation. The foreign minister also emphasised that a two-state resolution is the most feasible path forward.

She maintained that other options such as a one-state resolution, maintaining the current situation, or an “apartheid state” are significantly less practical. Aghabekian also said: “We Palestinians will fight an apartheid state because this is not the future that we want for our children.”

Previously, on May 25th, Trump called for an expedited resolution to the conflict in Gaza, underscoring a widening divide between Washington and Israel over the scale and course of Israel’s military campaign in the region, Maghrebi via The Arab Weekly plus agencies reported.

Trump said: “We want to see if we can stop that. And Israel, we’ve been talking to them, and we want to see if we can stop that whole situation as quickly as possible.”

France 24, Maghrebi.org, The Arab Weekly plus agencies