By Aseel al-Akhras
RAMALLAH, January 12, 2017 (WAFA) - Even though more than 20 US presidential candidates since 1972 have promised in their election campaigns to move the US embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, none of them carried out that promise after arriving at the White House.
Nevertheless, the insistence of President-elect Donald Trump to move the embassy seems to be worrying the Palestinians and Arabs.
The US Congress passed legislation in November 2009 to move the embassy. However, it gave presidents the right to defer implementing it for six months, which was something all the presidents since then have done.
For Israel, which occupied East Jerusalem in the June 1967 Arab-Israeli war and later annexed it, believes that moving the embassy to Jerusalem is recognition of its control over the occupied city and as capital of Israel.
Hani Masri, head of Masarat think tank that is based in Ramallah, told WAFA that Trump is different than other US presidents.
“He is more radical than any of his predecessors and he believes that Palestine is part of the international terrorism ring,” he said.
Besides, Trump is close to the Zionist movement and has close ties to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Masri said Arab reaction to the Trump campaign is not enough and that the Arab government should cut ties with any country that moves its embassy to Jerusalem, as they had said they would do.
He warned that moving the embassy would trigger tension in the region.
Mohammad Ishtayyeh, member of Fatah Central Committee, has also warned against moving the US embassy to Jerusalem stressing that such a move would mean an end to the two-state solution and the peace process in general as well as shut the door to negotiations, which is something not acceptable to anyone.
He said that if this move is done, then the Palestinians would reconsider their recognition of Israel and would seek other protest steps that have to do with the peace process.
“We are talking about steps, and not only threats,” he stressed.
He said that even if the embassy is moved to West Jerusalem and not the occupied eastern section of the city, it would still mean recognition of Israel’s control over the entire city since Israel considers a united Jerusalem as its capital and moving the embassy there would give wrong impressions about Jerusalem.
A.A./M.K.
12/01/2017 by WAFA.
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