Abbas Urges Trump To Drop Embassy Move Pledge
Rukhshan Mir (@rukhshanmir) Published January 06, 2017 | 10:10 PM
BEIT SAHOUR, Palestinian Territories, Jan 6, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 06th Jan, 2017 ) - Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas on Friday warned US President-elect Donald Trump that moving the American embassy to Jerusalem would be crossing a "red line" and could jeopardise peace prospects.
"Any statement or position that disrupts or changes the status of Jerusalem is a red line which we will not accept," he said in a speech, a transcript of which was published by the official Palestinian news agency Wafa.
Trump has said he plans to move the embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem in a controversial move bitterly opposed by Palestinians as a unilateral action while the status of the city remains contested.
Abbas said that if the embassy was moved "the peace process in the middle East, and even peace in the world, will be in severe trouble." He called on Trump to visit the Palestinian territories.
The Palestinians regard Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem as the capital of their future state, while Israel proclaims the entire city as its undivided capital.
The United States and most UN member states do not recognise Jerusalem as Israel's capital, and the city's status is one of the thorniest issues of the decades-long Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Trump has said he will move the embassy to Jerusalem and has nominated David Friedman, a bankruptcy attorney, as his ambassador. Friedman supports settlement expansion in the occupied West Bank, characterised by successive US administrations as an "obstacle to peace." In a Trump transition team statement last month, Friedman said he wanted to work for peace and looked forward to "doing this from the US embassy in Israel's eternal capital, Jerusalem".
Trump spokeswoman Kellyanne Conway said last month told a radio channel moving the embassy was a "very big priority" for Trump. Israel captured Arab east Jerusalem in the Six-Day War of 1967 and subsequently annexed it in a move never recognised by the international community.
Previous presidents, including George W. Bush and Bill Clinton, reneged on election commitments to move the embassy.
Related Topics
Recent Stories
Qatar’s MoS for Foreign Affairs arrives in Islamabad
Seven labourers from Punjab shot dead in Gwadar
Nation will never forget criminals of 9th May who attacked state for politics: P ..
Currency Rate In Pakistan - Dollar, Euro, Pound, Riyal Rates On 9 May 2024
Today Gold Rate in Pakistan 09 May 2024
IHC adjourns PTI founder, Qureshi's appeal till Thursday
CDWP recommends 3 projects to ECNEC for approval
Tarar assures APNS to resolve issues of newspaper industry
Pakistan urged to capitalize on economic stability, for Tobacco Tax Reforms
N. Macedonia polls set to upend ties with EU neighbours
Croatia's ruling party reaches coalition deal with right wing
Bayern coach Tuchel makes three changes for Madrid showdown
More Stories From World
-
Tokyo's Nikkei index closes lower
46 minutes ago -
Turkey therapy dogs join Istanbul Airport staff
56 minutes ago -
Pakistani Hujjaj start arriving to begin spirtual journey from the Prophet's city
1 hour ago -
Romania opens first crowd-funded hospital
1 hour ago -
Eight injured in Ukrainian attacks on Russia's Belgorod
2 hours ago -
Swift and Beyonce show the lucrative pop-fashion liaison
2 hours ago
-
Five things to know about Lithuania
2 hours ago -
Australia, Tuvalu to launch climate and security pact this year
2 hours ago -
Moscow children celebrate 'victory' amid patriotic education drive
2 hours ago -
Democrats rescue Republican US House speaker from right wing rebellion
2 hours ago -
Australia, Tuvalu to launch climate and security pact this year
2 hours ago -
Putin to mark Victory Day emboldened by Ukraine gains
2 hours ago