Tunisians stand against 'Deal of the Century'

By Yumna al-Salmi

TUNIS (AA) - Tunisians believe the U.S.-backed compromise plan between Israel and Palestine will fail due to wide-spread popular rejection in Arab and Muslim countries, despite the "weak" stance of their governments.

Speaking to residents of the capital Tunis, Anadolu Agency asked them on their expectations to the plan dubbed "Deal of the Century".

"We are against the Deal of the Century, because it would eliminate the Palestinian cause and hand over Palestine [including] Jerusalem to the Zionist entity [Israel], in the context of a comprehensive compromise" said Hatem, 47, a state servant.

"We support the resistance," he added in reference to the Palestinian resistance factions.

Al-Sahbi Samara, 40, who works as a broadcaster, said the deal "is linked to the U.S.’ influence in the [Middle East] region" noting that it's mere attempt by Washington to "revert the balance of power in its favor...,"

Samara added that in recognizing Jerusalem as Israel’s capital in December 2017, the U.S. intended to provoke more than a billion Muslims worldwide.

He voiced doubt that Washington's plan would succeed due to the publics' sensitivities towards Palestine, even in the Gulf states.

The peoples of the Gulf, including Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), were "different from their leadership and refuse to normalize ties with Israel," Samara opined.

Documentary film director Marwan Suleimani, 26, warned that the deal "would again displace the Palestinian people."

Meanwhile, Ikram Maliki, a 22-year old graduate student argued that "the Tunisian people as well as the Arab peoples reject this deal."

"We will remain supportive of the Palestinian cause," she affirmed.

On May 18, Washington announced plans to convene a conference in Bahrain’s capital, Manama, where U.S. officials are expected to unveil next week the economic aspects of the Middle East compromise plan or "Deal of the Century".

The conference will reportedly be chaired by U.S. President Donald Trump's senior adviser and son-in-law, Jared Kushner and U.S. special envoy to the Middle East Jason Greenblatt.

So far, six Arab states — Egypt, Jordan, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and host country Bahrain — have all stated that they will be participating in the conference.

Last month, the Palestine Liberation Organization, announced that it would not send a delegation to the U.S.-led conference.

Based on leaks to the media, the deal will call on Palestinians to make major concessions to Israel regarding Jerusalem’s status and the right of Palestinian refugees to return to their homes in historical Palestine.