Mahmoud Abbas has condemned Washington's decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital. He said it negates the US' right to be a mediator in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, while stating that Jerusalem remains the “eternal capital” of Palestine. Abbas firmly rejected Donald Trump’s declaration and said Jerusalem is the “eternal capital of the state of Palestine.” Washington’s hostile move effectively nullifies its right to be a peace broker in the Arab-Israeli conflict, Abbas underlined.
“These deplorable and unacceptable measures deliberately undermine all peace efforts, and proclaim that the US are abandoning the role of sponsor of [the] peace process that they have played over the past decade,” Abbas said in a televised speech.
The US move not only jeopardizes the Israeli-Palestinian peace process, but would also lead to “endless wars of international scale,” Abbas warned. The recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital would also play into the hands of terrorist organizations who are seeking excuses to wage religious wars, the Palestinian leader further cautioned. Hamas, which controls the Gaza strip, also condemned Trump’s decision, warning that it “opens the gates of hell on US interests in the region.” The Islamist movement added that the US declaration would not change the status of the Holy City. “Trump's decision on Jerusalem will not succeed in changing the fact that Jerusalem is an Arab Muslim land,” a Hamas spokesperson said, as quoted by AFP. Hamas has called for mass protests, announcing Friday as a “day of rage.”
Erdogan: “Jerusalem is our red line,” Trump making “grave mistake,” calls emergency OIC meeting
The real grave mistake will be if President Trump bows to this intimidation, which will only encourage more of it. “Erdogan calls Islamic summit next week on Jerusalem,” AFP, December 6, 2017:
ANKARA (AFP) – Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is calling a summit of the main pan-Islamic body in Istanbul on December 13 to discuss the expected US move to recognise Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, his spokesman said on Wednesday. “In the face of developments that arouse sensitivity over the status of Jerusalem, Mr President is calling a leaders’ summit of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in order to display joint action among Islamic countries,” presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin told reporters in Ankara. He said the summit meeting would take place on December 13. There was no immediate confirmation from Muslim leaders if they would come. Turkey currently holds the chairmanship of the OIC. The recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and the moving of the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem — expected to be announced by President Donald Trump later Wednesday — would be a “grave mistake” against international agreements, Kalin warned. “Jerusalem is our honour, Jerusalem is our common cause, Jerusalem is our red line,” he added, urging the Trump administration to “return from this grave mistake immediately”. Deputy Prime Minister Bekir Bozdag said the expected US move risked igniting a “fire” in the Middle East and will prove a “great disaster”.
The recognition will “throw the region and the world into a fire and it’s not known when it will end”, Bozdag, also government spokesman, wrote on Twitter.
Bozdag said such a step which showed “great intolerance and mindlessness” would “destroy the peace process”. – ‘Chaos and instability’ – Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu told reporters in Brussels ahead of meeting US counterpart Rex Tillerson that the move is a “mistake” that “will not bring stability and peace but rather chaos and instability.” Asked whether he would bring the issue up with Tillerson, the minister said: “I have already told him and I will tell him again.”
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