Palestinian officials have issued statements today slamming the US for the announcement that the US Embassy in Israel will be relocated into Jerusalem in May. The move follows the US having recognized Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.
Saeb Erekat, the Palestinians’ chief negotiator on the peace process was particularly pointed in his comments, saying that the US was destroying the two-state solution and “provoking the feelings of Palestinians, Arabs, Muslims, and Christians around the globe.”
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’ office said the move was “unacceptable” and that it was creating a new obstacle to attempts to reach a peace deal. Palestinian officials have broadly been clear they don’t view the US as a suitable arbiter for the peace process anymore.
Rather, Abbas and others have suggested the UN should try to start peace talks through some alternative avenue using multiple nations as mediators, reiterating that they don’t feel the US is able to be impartial in such efforts.
