Protesters in Gaza, West Bank slam so-called peace plan

By Nour Abu Eisha and Qaid Abu Samra

GAZA City/RAMALLAH (AA) - Thousands of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and occupied West Bank rallied on Thursday in protests against U.S. President Donald Trump’s so-called Middle East peace plan.

Demonstrators in Gaza organized two rallies where they raised banners denouncing the so-called "deal of the century" and raised slogans demanding it be scrapped.

The Hamas-run government media office staged a demonstration in front of the office of the United Nations Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process (UNSCO), west of Gaza.

The protesters held banners conveying their categorical rejection of the American plan and affirming Jerusalem’s status as the capital of Palestine.

Over in the occupied West Bank, a march was held at the northern entrance to the cities of Ramallah and Al-Bireh.

The Israeli army fired rubber bullets and tear gas to break up the protest while demonstrators responded by pelting stones and torching tires. Witnesses also reported similar clashes near the city of Al-Khalil (Hebron).

On Tuesday, U.S. President Donald Trump released his much-hyped plan to end the Israel-Palestine dispute at the White House with Israel Prime Minister Netanyahu by his side.

There was, however, no Palestinian representative at the announcement, which saw Trump referring to Jerusalem as "Israel's undivided capital".

Trump’s so-called peace plan unilaterally annuls previous UN resolutions on the Palestinian issue and has drawn criticism for giving Israel almost everything it demanded.

*Bassel Ibrahim contributed to this report from Ankara