PA: US Recognition Of Jerusalem Would End Peace Process

By Staff Reporter
Posted on 12/05/17 | News Source: Arutz-7

A US move to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital would mean the end of President Donald Trump's peace efforts on the Arab-Israeli conflict, a senior Palestinian Authority official warned Tuesday.

Palestinian Arab political factions, meanwhile, called for demonstrations and protests against any such announcement.

Continuing his diplomatic offensive against the move, PA chairman Mahmoud Abbas also spoke with French President Emmanuel Macron by phone on the issue on Tuesday, official news agency WAFA said.

Nabil Shaath, an adviser to Abbas, told journalists that a decision by Trump to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital "totally destroys any chance that he will play a role as an honest broker".

"That takes away... the deal of the century," he added, referring to Trump's pledge to reach an elusive peace agreement between the Israelis and the PA.

Trump on Monday delayed a decision on whether to recognize Jerusalem as the Israeli capital and move the US embassy there.

The White House said Trump would miss a deadline to decide on shifting the embassy from Tel Aviv, after a frantic 48 hours of public warnings from allies and private phone calls between world leaders.

There have been suggestions he will stop short of moving the embassy for now but recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital -- a move that would mark a major shift of US policy.

"We have not been asking for anything outside the two-state solution," Shaath said.

"Mr Trump and his administration are violating that, and therefore they don't play that game and we don't play with them that game ."

Abbas's Fatah party called for demonstrations if Trump goes through with the reported plan to recognize Jerusalem.

Hamas, the Islamist terrorist movement that runs the Gaza Strip, plans to hold protests on Wednesday night after evening prayers in the enclave.

US Vice President Mike Pence will visit Israel later this month,