Mahmoud Abbas in Qatar to meet Emir as Washington readies to unveil controversial peace plan

Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas has arrived in Qatar to meet with the country's emir to discuss the Palestinian issue amid efforts by the United States to push for a controversial Middle East peace plan.

Mahmoud Abbas landed in Doha on Wednesday for a two-day official visit and met with Qatari Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani, Palestinian state-run media reported.

Abbas will meet with Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani on Thursday.

The official Qatari news agency QNA reported that Abbas and Sheikh Mohammed discussed "boosting bilateral relations and issues of mutual interest".

Qatar is known for its pro-Palestinian stance, having given hundreds of millions of dollars to humanitarian projects in Gaza.

Abbas met with Jordanian King Abdullah II on Wednesday in Amman and discussed US President Donald Trump's so-called "Deal of the Century" roadmap for Middle East peace, which is seen as hugely favourable towards Israel.

"There are many things related to the 'Deal of the Century'... that we reject, we must exchange ideas on this issue," Abbas told reporters after the meeting with the Jordanian monarch, The New Arab's Arabic-language service reported.

The Trump administration is reportedly staffing up a Middle East policy team at the White House in anticipation of unveiling the Israeli-Palestinian peace plan.

The Palestinian leadership has been openly hostile to any proposal from the US, which it accuses of pro-Israel bias, notably after Trump recognised Jerusalem as Israel's capital and moved the US embassy there from Tel Aviv.

The Palestinian Authority has since broken off contact with the US negotiating team.

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