Palestinians protest as Trump set to unveil 'deal of century' plan

Thousands of Palestinians demonstrated against US President Donald Trump's Israeli-Palestinian controversial plan on Tuesday hours before its scheduled release at a ceremony in Washington.

Israeli troops meanwhile reinforced positions near a flashpoint site between the Palestinian city of Ramallah and the illegal Jewish settlement of Beit El in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.

While Israeli leaders have welcomed Trump's long-delayed plan also dubbed "deal of the century", Palestinian leaders rejected it even before its official release. They say his administration is biased towards Israel.

The Palestinians fear Trump's blueprint will dash their hopes for an independent state in the West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem –– areas Israel captured in the 1967 Middle East War –– by permitting Israel to annex large chunks of occupied territory including blocs of illegal Jewish settlements.

Diab al Louh, the Palestinians' ambassador to Egypt, said on Tuesday they had requested an urgent meeting of the Arab League Council at ministerial level –– which Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas would attend.

In a rare event, rival Palestinian factions Hamas and Fatah were set to meet in the West Bank city of Ramallah to discuss a response to Trump.

"We invited the Hamas movement to attend the emergency meeting of the leadership and they will take part," said senior Fatah official Azzam al Ahmed.

Gaza protests

In besieged Gaza, protesters waved Palestinian flags on Tuesday and held aloft posters of Abbas. 

"Trump is a fool, Palestine is not for sale!" an activist shouted through a loudspeaker.

Others chanted "Death to America" and "Death to Israel" as they burned tyres and posters of Trump.

Meanwhile, the Israeli army said on Tuesday it was beefing up forces in the Jordan Valley, a swathe of the occupied West Bank expected to feature in Trump's long-awaited Mideast plan.

Following the ongoing situation assessment conducted in the IDF (Israel Defence Forces), it has been decided to reinforce the Jordan Valley area with infantry troops," the military said in a statement.

Trump was due to release his plan, years in the works, at the White House later on Tuesday together with his close ally Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Trump says the plan might "have a chance."

"It's very good for them, in fact, it's overly good for them," the US president told reporters on Monday. "We think we will have ultimately the support of the Palestinians."

But the Palestinians have urged world powers to reject Trump's proposal, predicting it would amount to a violation of international law.

Greenlight to Israel 

While details of the US proposal remain secret, it may seek to give Israel the greenlight to illegally annex the Jordan Valley, a strategic area along the border with Jordan that constitutes around 30 percent of the occupied West Bank.

During a tour of the valley on Monday, Israeli Interior Minister Aryeh Deri said they were taking steps towards the move –– a central election promise of right-winger Netanyahu.

"As an interior minister, I'd like to tell you, we've started to prepare for an annexation –– we are getting the paperwork ready," Deri said.

During election campaigns last year, Netanyahu said he intends to annex West Bank settlements, and much of the Jordan Valley if elected. 

Later, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo effectively backed Israel's claimed right to build Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank by abandoning the four-decade-old US position that they were inconsistent with international law.