Hariri: Entire Lebanon against 'Deal of the Century'
Prime Minister Saad Hariri on Wednesday stressed that “the government, the parliament and entire Lebanon” are against the so-called “deal of the century,” a phrase referring to the Trump administration’s proposed plans to resolve the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.
“Our constitution prohibits refugee naturalization,” Hariri said in parliament.
“The $90 billion debt should not be linked to the issue of naturalization, because everyone is to blame for it,” the premier added, stressing that efforts are underway to resolve the debt crisis and the economic problems.
On Sunday, Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri said “mistaken are those who think that waving billions of dollars might tempt Lebanon” to naturalize Palestinian refugees.
U.S. President Donald Trump’s son-in-law and adviser Jared Kushner has said that the U.S. Middle East peace plan that was presented Tuesday in Bahrain aims to raise more than $50 billion for the Palestinians and create one million jobs for them within a decade.
The 10-year plan calls for projects worth $27.5 billion in the West Bank and Gaza, and $9.1 billion, $7.4 billion and $6.3 billion for Palestinians in Egypt, Jordan and Lebanon, respectively.
Projects envisioned include those in the health care, education, power, water, high-tech, tourism, and agriculture sectors.
It calls for the creation of a "master fund" to administer the finances and implementation of the projects that is says are akin to the Marshall Plan that rebuilt Europe after World War II.
Source: Naharnet
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