by Dana Halawi
BEIRUT, Jan. 29 (Xinhua) -- Local experts agree that the Arab world will not accept U.S. President Donald Trump's Middle East peace plan, known as "Deal of the Century."
Trump unveiled on Tuesday together with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu from the White House his peace plan which recognizes Jerusalem as Israel's "undivided capital," while claiming that the Palestinians' capital will include areas of East Jerusalem.
The president said that if Palestinians accept the plan, they will receive 50 billion U.S. dollars to be invested in the new Palestinian state.
"Arab leaders will never accept such a plan. If they do, this will lead to revolutions all over the Arab world and a complete change in the Arab systems," Youssef Diab, an analyst from the Lebanese University, said.
Diab said that the plan was announced to boost victory chances of Trump and Netanyahu in the coming elections in their countries.
For his part, Mohannad Hajj Ali, a member of the Carnegie Middle East Center, said that the Palestinian cause is no longer a priority for Arab leaders given the various conflicts and challenges prevailing in the region, but this does not mean they would accept such a plan.
Makram Rabah, a lecturer at the American University of Beirut's Department of History, said the Palestinians will automatically be naturalized if the plan takes place because they won't be able to return to the Palestine that will be given to them by Trump.
Meanwhile, Hajj Ali explained that the Palestinians will be given a fragmented country that is more similar to camps that are isolated from other countries.
"Palestinians won't be able to own any weapons even not to forget that they will be blocked by Israel from all sides," he said, expressing his doubts about Israel's commitment to properly implementing the plan.
"The Israelis will most probably confiscate more Palestinian lands," he said.
Top Lebanese officials also criticized the announcement including President Michel Aoun who called the Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, expressing "Lebanon's solidarity with the Palestinians facing the 'Deal of the Century'."
"Lebanon adheres to the Arab peace initiative that was approved at the Arab League Summit in Beirut in 2002, especially the right of the Palestinians to return to their lands and the establishment of their independent state with East Jerusalem as its capital," Aoun told Abbas.
