Palestine refuses peace talks until Trump reverses US embassy’s move to Jerusalem
To enter peace talks would be to accept the US’s acknowledgement of the whole of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, the Palestine Liberation Organisation said
Discussions with the Trump administration will be stalled until the US’s recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital is reversed, said Palestine’s top negotiator.
Saeb Erekat, secretary general of the Palestine Liberation Organisation, said the decision to move the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem - effectively backing Israel’s disputed claim to East Jerusalem - was “part of a new American era of moving from negotiation to dictation.”
Asked whether there can be any contact with US President Donald Trump’s administration if the Jerusalem decision is not reversed, Erekat said: “How can you?”
“You heard what President Trump said in Davos. He said: ‘We took Jerusalem off the table,’” Erekat continued.
“The minute any Palestinian goes and meets with American officials, it is an acceptance of their decision. Now they are threatening us with money, with aid.