Trump’s peace efforts 'slap of the century’

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has described US President Donald Trump's Middle East peace efforts as the "slap of the century".

At a meeting of Palestinian leaders, he stressed he would not accept any peace plan from the US after it recognised Jerusalem as Israel's capital.

He also accused Israel itself of putting an end to the 1994 Oslo Accords, which began the peace process.
Mr Trump has threatened to cut aid if the Palestinians reject peace talks.

Speaking earlier this month, Mr Trump insisted recognition of Jerusalem took the hugely divisive issue "off the table" for new peace talks.

Palestinians argue the move shows the US cannot be a neutral broker.

Palestinian leaders are meeting for two days in Ramallah to come up with a concrete Palestinian response to Mr Trump's move.

Mr Abbas had already rejected Mr Trump's proposals last month, after the UN General Assembly voted to express regret at US recognition of Jerusalem, reports BBC.

Speaking to Palestinian faction leaders in Ramallah on Sunday, he said: "The deal of the century is the slap of the century and we will not accept it."

"I am saying that Oslo, there is no Oslo," he added. "Israel ended Oslo."

Washington has for the past few months been drafting a new peace plan, though it has not divulged any details.

Israel claims the whole of the city as its capital. The Palestinians want East Jerusalem, occupied by Israel in the 1967 Middle East war, to be the capital of a future Palestinian state.

Trump, however, decided to formally recognise Jerusalem as Israel's capital, despite being warned it could cause unrest in the region.