Palestinian President: US Has Lost Its Mediation Rights

Rasa - Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas told Norwegian Foreign Minister Ine Marie Eriksen Søreide during their meeting in Ramallah on Monday that the United States has lost its mediation rights after it recognized Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, calling instead for a bigger European role in the Middle East peace process.

News ID: 435704

Date: 10 January 2018 - 04:07

RNA - He pointed to the danger of the decision made by the US, saying that it stripped it of its mediation role in the political process, WAFA reported.

The President stressed on the big role Europe can play due to its political and economic weight in the region and the world.

Abbas praised Norway’s role in coordinating the efforts of donor countries to support the Palestinians and the economic support it offers to establish Palestinian institutions, praising its vote in favor of the resolution on Jerusalem at the UN General Assembly.

Eriksen Søreide said that her meeting with Abbas was important and positive, affirming her country’s complete support for the two-state solution.

US President Donald Trump announced early December 2017 that Washington would be recognizing Jerusalem al-Quds as Israel’s capital, stressing that the United States would relocate the embassy in the occupied lands from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem al-Quds.

The move was hailed by Israel but condemned by the rest of the international community as one which undermines the peace talks.

Washington’s al-Quds move has raised a chorus of outcry across the international community. The Muslim world, the UN, world leaders from Europe to the Middle East to Australia, and even US allies in the West have criticized the bid, saying it would plunge the already tumultuous region into new upheaval.

Heavy clashes also broke out between Israeli troops and Palestinian protesters after Washington's decision in Jerusalem al-Qud's Old City, Hebron (al-Khalil), Bethlehem and Nablus in the West Bank as well as the besieged Gaza Strip.

According to reports, at least 700 Palestinians were detained by the Israeli forces since Washington’s move to recognize Jerusalem al-Quds as the capital of Israel.

17 Palestinians were also killed in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank during weeks of protests against the Washington declaration of Jerusalem as capital of Israel, according to reports.

Also, thousands of Palestinians have been wounded by Israeli army's fire during demonstrations against the US President decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.

People in different countries have also hit the streets to denounce Trump's recognition of Jerusalem al-Quds as Israel’s capital.

The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), in a statement issued following an extraordinary summit in Turkey's Istanbul, declared East Jerusalem the capital of Palestine "under occupation" and urged the US to withdraw from the peace process and back down from its Jerusalem decision.

The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) overwhelmingly passed a non-binding resolution condemning Trump’s decision and called on states not to move their diplomatic missions to the sacred city. The UNGA vote followed the US veto of a UN Security Council (UNSC) resolution.

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