US rejects Abbas’s plan for Palestine state: Official

Ramallah, Sep 12 (IANS) The US has rejected Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’s political plan for establishing a Palestinian state, a senior Palestinian official said on Friday.

The official told Xinhua on condition of anonymity that Washington has officially informed the Palestinian leadership of its rejection of the political plan.

Two weeks ago, a high-ranking Palestinian delegation headed by chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat, presented the peace plan during a meeting held in Washington with US Secretary of State John Kerry.

“Washington officially told the Palestinian side that the United States rejects the unilateral Palestinian plan and warned of any consequences as a result of such plans,” said the official.

The plan calls for ending the Israeli military occupation of the Palestinian territories since 1967 within a short time schedule and then establishing an independent Palestinian state with east Jerusalem as its capital.

Ahmed Majdalani, a member of the Palestine Liberation Organisation executive committee, stated earlier that if the US rejected the Palestinian plan the Palestinian side would go to the UN Security Council and ask for ending the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories.

“In case our request to the Security Council to end the Israeli occupation is rejected, the Palestinians will hold the international community responsible and will join all the international agencies and treaties,” said Majdalani.