Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has told Muslim leaders on Wednesday that the United States of America’s decision to recognise Jerusalem as Israel’s capital was a crime.
He says Washington should no longer play a role in Middle East peace talks.
Addressing an emergency meeting of Muslim leaders at Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in Istanbul, Abbas said President Donald Trump was giving Jerusalem away as if it were an American city.
Mahmoud Abbas Palestinian President:
“Even if the Balfour Declaration was passed, Trump’s Declaration did not and will not pass after what we witnessed from all the people of the world from all the organisations of the world, and from all the countries of the world that took a united stand against this unjust decision that Donald Trump lately announced.”
Abbas said the U.S. has lost its capability as a broker in the peace process.
Mahmoud Abbas Palestinian President further elaborates:
“With this, the United States has lost its capability to be a mediator and won’t have a role in the political process. We will not accept any more for it to have a role in the political process, it is biased to Israel. This is our stand and we wish you support us in it.”
Abbas says Jerusalem has always been and will continue forever to be the capital of Palestine:
“These unilateral mistaken steps will encourage extremist and non-extremist groups to turn the conflict from a political conflict to a religious one.”
Meanwhile, the Iranian President Hassan Rouhani speaking at the organisation of Islamic Cooperation leader’s summit called on the Muslim Nations to defend Palestinians after U.S. President Trump declared Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.
The Trump administration says it remains committed to reaching peace between Israel and the Palestinians and its decision does not affect Jerusalem’s future borders or status.
It says any credible future peace deal will place the Israeli capital in Jerusalem, and ditching old policies is needed to revive a peace process frozen since 2014.
