Amnesty International says Trump's deal violates international law

Amnesty International has called US President Donald Trump's controversial "peace plan" a "proposal to violate international law and further strip Palestinians of their right", with widespread condemnation of the so-called "Deal of the Century".

The organisation is urging the international community to "reject measures contravening international law", including the deal's plan to allow Israel to annex the West Bank.

"While the Trump administration has emphasised the principle of land swaps in its deal, we should make no mistake that it is proposing further annexation of Palestinian territory, which would flagrantly violate international humanitarian law," said Philip Luther, Amnesty International's Middle East and North Africa Research and Advocacy Director.

"During more than half a century of occupation Israel has imposed a system of institutionalized discrimination against Palestinians under its rule, denying them basic rights and access to effective remedies for violations. The deal amounts to endorsement of these brutal, unlawful policies," he added.

The deal also includes proposals to create a "compensation mechanism" for Palestinian refugees, instead of granting them their right to return.

With currently more than 5.2 million registered refugees, Palestinians are one of the world's largest refugee populations.

"Palestinians who fled or were expelled from their homes in 1948, and their descendants, have a right to return under international law. This is an individual human right which cannot be given away as a political concession," Luther said.

"Hundreds of thousands of Palestinian refugees are trapped in overcrowded camps, more than 70 years after they, their parents or grandparents were first forced out of their homes. This proposal ignores refugees’ rights under international law and the decades of suffering they have endured," he added.

The proposal "fails" in the most fundimental way possible, and "seeks to torpedo efforts towards justice for both Palestinians and Israelis that are currently under way," he added.

The UN as also rejected Trump's "Deal of the Century", which Iran has reworded as "Treason of the Century." 

In a statement, a copy of which sent to MEMO, Stephane Dujarric, a spokesperson for the UN Secretary-General, said: "The position of the United Nations on the two-State solution has been defined, throughout the years, by relevant Security Council and General Assembly resolutions by which the Secretariat is bound."

Fierce opposition

Turkey and Jordan were one of the first nations to condemn the plan. 

Jordan's Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi warned against "the dangerous consequences of unilateral Israeli measures, such as the annexation of Palestinian lands, the building, and expansion of illegal Israeli settlements on Palestinian occupied lands and encroachments on the Holy Sites in Jerusalem".

Turkey's ministry of foreign affairs released a statement saying the "so-called US peace plan is stillborn… this is an annexation plan aiming to destroy the two-state solution and seize the Palestinian territories".

He added: "The people and the land of Palestine cannot be bought off."

Iran described it as "treason of the century".