Palestinians in Hebron, Nablus protest Kerry's peace proposals

Demonstrators claim proposals deny Palestinian right of return and increases Jewish settlement.

By KHALED ABU TOAMEH
Qusra, Nablus village. 370 (photo credit: Mohamad Torokman / Reuters)
Qusra, Nablus village. 370
(photo credit: Mohamad Torokman / Reuters)
Palestinians demonstrated on Saturday in Hebron and Nablus against US Secretary of State John Kerry’s proposals for peace between Israel and the Palestinian Authority.
The protests were organized by the radical groups Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine and the People’s (Communist) Party.
The demonstrators shouted slogans denouncing Kerry’s proposals and warned the PA leadership against accepting them. The participants called on PA President Mahmoud Abbas to reject Kerry’s proposals and also urged Palestinians to resort to “all forms of resistance” against Israel.
Mohamed Dweikat, a senior official with the DFLP, said Kerry’s proposals are aimed at “liquidating” the Palestinian issue, especially the “right of return” for Palestinian refugees.
He also claimed that the proposals would “consolidate settlement in the West Bank.”
Badran Jaber, one of the organizers of the Hebron protest, said, “We reject the Kerry plan because it is designed to liquidate the Palestinian cause. It is also aimed at Judaizing Jerusalem, increasing settlement in the Jordan Valley and denying the right of return for refugees.”
In a related development, Hamas called on the PA leadership to pull out of the peace talks with Israel.
Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri claimed that Kerry’s plan for peace was primarily aimed at eliminating the Palestinian issue.
Hamas official Ezat al-Risheq also warned the PA leadership against accepting Kerry’s proposals, saying they were biased in favor of Israel.
“The US administration was never an honest broker,” he said.