The Palestinian factions called for unity and comprehensive resistance to confront the annexation plan that Israel intends to implement in the West Bank next month, while Israeli-American talks were launched to formulate a joint resolution on the annexation plan that faces international opposition.
The Palestinian factions in Gaza, led by the Fatah, Hamas and Islamic Jihad movements, held today, Sunday, an inclusive national meeting under the title "Unified in the face of the decision of annexation and the deal."
The factions called on all the Palestinian people in all its places to consider the coming Wednesday as a day of popular anger, rejecting the annexation decision stipulated in the peace plan presented by the US President’s administration early this year.
In the final statement of the meeting, the leader of the Islamic Jihad, Khaled Al-Batsh, stressed the necessity of completing the implementation of the decisions of the National and Central Councils by withdrawing recognition of the occupying state and abandoning all agreements concluded with him.
He also stressed activating comprehensive resistance in all Palestinian lands, especially the targeted areas of annexation in the West Bank and the Jordan Valley.
For his part, the leader of the Hamas movement, Khalil al-Hayya, said that the comprehensive resistance in all its forms, foremost of which is the armed struggle, is "a duty to confront the enemy's plans, and a legitimate, national, and human right", noting that the areas targeted by the annexation plan are the first areas of engagement with the occupation.
As for the leader of the Fatah movement, Imad Al-Agha, he said that facing the occupation and its decisions is a strategic decision, stressing the importance of national unity to confront the Israeli-American plan.
The Gaza meeting led to a national plan agreed upon by all the participating factions to confront the decisions to annex the lands and the "deal of the century" (the American peace plan) which includes among many items the launch of a national campaign against annexation, the formation of a unified national front for the popular resistance to manage the field engagement, and the formation of committees Popular protection in the West Bank to address the settlers and the annexation procedures.
In this context, Fatah welcomed the invitation of Hamas two days ago to national unity to confront plans to liquidate the Palestinian issue.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had pledged to start implementing the annexation plan by next month, and the plan would annex 30% of the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, the Jordan Valley, the central West Bank, and between Hebron and Bethlehem.
Joint decision
Meanwhile, an American delegation - headed by Special Envoy Avi Berkowitz, envoy to Israel David Friedman and official of the Maps Committee Scott Fyth - began his discussions with Israeli officials on the implementation of annexing parts of the West Bank to Israel.
The US delegation is scheduled to meet with Netanyahu, the alternate prime minister, and Defense Minister Benny Gantz.
These talks come after consultations by President Donald Trump's advisors at the White House about giving Israel the green light to begin annexing areas of the West Bank according to the Trump peace plan, which the Palestinians insist is aimed at liquidating their cause and preventing the establishment of an independent, sovereign, and geographically connected Palestinian state.
Walid Al-Omari, director of the Al-Jazeera office in Jerusalem, said that the American delegation will hold days of meetings with Israeli officials to formulate a joint Israeli-American decision on the annexation plan based on the joint maps that the two sides have drawn up over the past months.
He added that it is clear that the annexation of lands has become a US-Israeli decision with distinction, pointing out that there was a trend towards progressive implementation of the annexation in areas other than the Jordan Valley in a manner that does not offend Jordan.
The director of Al-Jazeera’s office stated that the American delegation arrived in Israel after consultations in the White House that did not take a decision to give Israel a green light to fully implement the annexation process for 30% of the West Bank’s territories, noting that Ambassador Friedman is one of the most enthusiastic enthusiasts to implement the Israeli annexation plan.
Similar to a green light to implement the plan, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said a few days ago that the annexation decision belongs to Israel, and a US official was more likely to support the Trump administration with a gradual Israeli annexation of parts of the West Bank.
As for Netanyahu, who is racing to implement the plan before the US presidential elections last November, he might start annexing the major settlements in the West Bank, according to Israeli sources.