Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas tore into the Trump administration Thursday, refusing to accept the United States as the sole mediator in the Middle East conflict, a day after Donald Trump promised a “very fair” peace plan.
The 82-year-old Palestinian Authority president used his address to the UN General Assembly to lambast the United States for closing the Palestine Liberation Organization office in Washington, recognizing Al-Quds (Jerusalem) as the capital of ‘Israel’, moving its embassy and slashing Palestinian aid money.
Speaking a day after the US president said he favored a two-state solution to end the Israeli-Palestinian cause and vowed to unveil a new ‘peace plan’ within months.
While Abbas said Trump had forfeited his right to be regarded as a neutral broker, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hailed Trump for his “unwavering support”.
“We will also not accept sole American mediation in the peace process,” he said, accusing the former real estate tycoon of being “biased” towards the Israeli regime since taking office in January 2017.
“With all of these decisions, this administration has reneged on all previous US commitments, and even undermined the two-state solution,” Abbas told the world body in a nearly 40-minute speech.
“It’s really ironic that the American administration still talks about what they call the ‘deal of the century.'”
The Palestinian leadership cut off contact with the White House after Trump recognized Al-Quds as Israeli capital last December and the United States has also cut more than $500 million in Palestinian aid.
“From this august platform, I renew my call to President Trump to rescind his decisions and decrees … in order to salvage the prospects for peace,” Abbas said.
Meanwhile, he said there could be no peace without an independent Palestinian state with east Jerusalem as its capital, calling on countries to recognize the state of Palestine.
“We are not against negotiations,” he added. “We will continue to extend our hands for peace.”
Source: AFP
