TEHRAN – Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi have rejected the so-called U.S. “deal of the century” and highlighted the necessity of maintaining unity in the world of Islam.

In a phone conversation on Monday, the officials said that unity and integrity in the world of Islam is essential to support Palestine.

U.S. President Donald Trump announced the general provisions of the plan at the White House with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at his side on January 28.

The White House claimed that the plan is the most serious, realistic, and detailed plan ever presented, one that could make Israelis, Palestinians, and the region safer and more prosperous.

“This Vision is just the first step and provides the basis for historic progress toward peace. The United States hopes this Vision will lead to direct negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians,” it added.

Politicians and analysts say that Trump is formally trying to give the Palestinian lands to Israel through his proposed plan.

Palestinian leaders, who were absent during the announcement and had rejected the proposal even before its release, denounced the plan as "a new Balfour Declaration" that heavily favored Israel and would deny them a viable independent state. 

At their emergency meetings, both the Arab League and the Organization of the Islamic Cooperation (OIC) have rejected the deal of the century.

The 57-member OIC, which held its summit on Monday to discuss the plan in Saudi Arabia's Jeddah, said in a statement that it "calls on all member states not to engage with this plan or to cooperate with the U.S. administration in implementing it in any form".

The meeting of the body came two days after the Arab League  said, "It does not meet the minimum rights and aspirations of Palestinian people."

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas has called the U.S. proposal the “slap of the century”.

Sabah Zangeneh, former Iran’s representative at the Organization of the Islamic Cooperation (OIC), has said that the so-called peace plan does not enjoy international support.

In an interview with IRNA published on Saturday, Zanganeh described the deal of century as “dangerous” which can throw international order into disarray.

Expressing concerns over the consequences of the plan, he said, “Apparently, this plan is supposed to boost economy in the region. However, in fact, it will cause challenges to regional economy.”

In a series of tweets, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif castigated the plan.

“The so-called ‘Vision for Peace’ is simply the dream project of a bankruptcy-ridden real estate developer,” Zarif said.

The foreign minister added the plan was a “nightmare for the region and the world and, hopefully, a wake-up call for all the Muslims who have been barking up the wrong tree.”

Zarif also said the plan is “sleepwalking into a catastrophe” and likened it to “highway to hell”.

The foreign minister also said Muslims must “wake up” to this plot as the United States has proven that it has never been an “honest broker” in mediation between the Palestinians and the Zionist regime of Israel.

“We Muslims need to wake up: The U.S. never was—and can never be—anything resembling an honest broker.”

NA/PA