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A28 WORLD NEWS
Wednesday 10 June 2020
Palestinians say they made counterproposal to Trump plan

By JOSEPH KRAUSS Shtayyeh told reporters
Associated Press that annexation is an "ex-
RAMALLAH, West Bank (AP) istential threat" that would
— The Palestinians said mark the "total erosion of
Tuesday they proposed our national aspirations."
a demilitarized Palestin- The Palestinians want a
ian state in the West Bank, state in the West Bank,
Gaza and east Jerusalem Gaza and east Jerusalem,
with one-to-one land ex- territories Israel seized in
changes with Israel as a the 1967 war.
counteroffer to President Shtayyeh said it would be
Donald Trump's Mideast a "demilitarized state" and
plan. that the Palestinians would
Prime Minister Mohammad accept "minor border
Shtayyeh declined to pro- modification" and the ex-
vide further details about change of territory equiva-
the 4 1/2-page proposal lent "in size, in volume and
but said the Palestinian in value."
position on major issues is He said the Palestinian
well-known. He said the leadership would not give
plan was submitted in re- in to Israeli demands that
cent days to the Quartet of they resume contacts
Mideast mediators — the in order to facilitate the
U.S., the U.N., the European Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh speaks during a press conference at the Foreign monthly transfer of some
Union and Russia. Press Association in the West Bank city of Ramallah, on Tuesday, June 9, 2020. Associated Press $150 million in taxes and
The Trump administration customs that Israel collects
has chastised the Palestin- tiations in more than a de- The Palestinians have re- Egypt, Jordan and Saudi on behalf of the Palestin-
ians for rejecting its plan, cade. sponded to the threat of Arabia, have condemned ians. That's a crucial source
which sides with Israel on all Israeli Prime Minister Benja- annexation by cutting all the annexation plan. The of income for the Palestin-
the most contentious issues min Netanyahu has vowed ties with Israel, including European Union, which has ian Authority, which gov-
in the decades-old conflict. to annex large parts of the security coordination, and close ties with Israel, has erns parts of the occupied
Israel and the U.S. have occupied West Bank in line saying they are no longer also warned that annexa- West Bank. Shtayyeh said
long accused the Palestin- with the Trump plan, which bound by agreements go- tion could have negative Israel could continue to
ians of failing to provide would give the Palestinians ing back to the early 1990s. consequences for relations. make the transfers without
their own proposal. The Pal- limited statehood in a clus- They are also seeking to It has urged both sides to any direct contacts. He
estinians say their demands ter of disjointed enclaves if rally international support resume dialogue and to said if the transfers do not
are rooted in international they meet a long list of con- against annexation, hop- avoid unilateral steps, but go through, the PA will be
law and U.N. resolutions. ditions. Israel is expected to ing to pressure Netanyahu has not announced any unable to pay the salaries
The two sides have not held begin the annexation pro- to back down. concrete planned respons- of tens of thousands of civil
substantive peace nego- cess as soon as July 1. Key Arab nations, including es. servants and security forc-
es starting this month.
EU urged to act against pesticides to fight insect decline "Our people are ready for

sacrifices," Shtayyeh said.
develop organic farming month it wants to halve the "We are not ready to ac-
is not enough, as one-third use of chemical pesticides cept any blackmail. The
of all inspect species are by 2030. It also wants to issue here is not money for
threatened with extinction. ensure that at least 25% of politics."
"The evidence is clear: pes- agricultural land across the He said the Palestinian Au-
ticide use is wiping out in- 27-nation bloc is reserved thority would continue to
sect populations and eco- for organic farming, com- issue medical permits and
systems around the world, pared to 8% at the mo- help with the expenses of
and threatening food ment. The commission also Palestinians in the West
production," said Mute wants to plant at least 3 Bank and Gaza who re-
Schimpf of Friends of the billion trees over the next quire treatment in Israel.
Earth Europe. 10 years. Barbara Unmüßig, He also said the PA would
The group said at least 1 in the president of Heinrich- continue to "support our
10 bee and butterfly spe- Böll-Stiftung, said the loss of people in Gaza in every
cies in Europe is threatened insects is so important that single way possible."
with extinction, raising fears the EU's current plans are Gaza has been under an
In this file photo dated Monday, June 8, 2020, a man rides his of an ensuing impact on not sufficient. She said the Israeli and Egyptian block-
bike along banks of flowers on a small road on the outskirts of ade since the Islamic mili-
Frankfurt, Germany. crop production. Accord- reshaping of the EU's com-
Associated Press ing to figures released by mon agricultural policy tant group Hamas seized
the European Parliament, (CAP) is required to ensure power from rival Palestin-
By SAMUEL PETREQUIN species are in decline be- about 84% of crop spe- the promotion of an "insect ian forces in 2007. Since
Associated Press cause of pesticide use and cies and 78% of wildflowers and climate-friendly agri- then, the PA has liaised
BRUSSELS (AP) — Environ- industrial farming. across the EU depend to culture." with Israel to allow patients
mental groups are urging Friends of the Earth Europe some extent on animal pol- Friends of the Earth Europe to travel to Israel or abroad
the European Union to take and the Heinrich-Böll-Stif- lination. and Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung for treatment. It's unclear
drastic action to protect tung, a think tank with close As part of its goal to cut are also campaigning for how it can continue to per-
insects, saying in a report ties to the German Green greenhouse gas emissions a new law to drastically form that role without hav-
Tuesday that more than Party, said the EU's strategy to zero by mid-century, cut pesticide use by 80% by ing direct contacts with
40% of the world's insect to protect biodiversity and the EU commission said last 2030. q Israel. q