Under US plan, Palestinian refugees will still be refugees
There is word that the United States wants to improve Palestinians refugees' living conditions in Gaza and the West Bank, but Palestinians fear the measure is an attempt to merely paint over the real issue: the refugees' right to return to their homeland.
The United States reportedly plans to unveil this month a proposal to rebuild Palestinian refugee camps in the Gaza Strip and West Bank as permanent cities and towns, a concept already rejected by Palestinians across the spectrum.
At Washington's request, Bahrain will host a summit June 25-26 in Manama to discuss economic aspects of its so-called "deal of the century," designed to achieve peace between Palestinians and Israelis. Israel Hayom daily newspaper cited May 27 an undisclosed source close to the White House as saying the United States will propose a way to provide stable housing communities for Palestinians to fundamentally change their lives and revive their economic situation.
As soon as the US statement was issued, Ahmed Abu Houli, a member of the Executive Committee of the PLO and head of its refugee affairs department, said in a statement that Washington is trying to sell an illusion. Realistically, such a move would try to work around the refugee issue, and the Palestinian Authority (PA) will not accept this, Houli added.
Hamas also has rejected the US peace plan in toto, believing the proposal will greatly favor Israel.
