Interview: Trump destroys two state solution: Palestinian president's advisor

Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-15 02:06:44|Editor: Mu Xuequan
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RAMALLAH, Dec. 14 (Xinhua) -- Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' Foreign Affairs advisor, Nabil Shaath, said the U.S. President Donald Trump has destroyed the chances for a peace process one year after Trump recognized Jerusalem as Israel's capital and moved his country's embassy to the city.

Recalling steps taken by the Trump administration against Palestinians, Shaath said that the U.S. is trying to impose a solution with total bias towards Israel, and that was the reason why the Palestinian leadership has decided to sever ties with the U.S. administration.

"All of this has happened in the name of trying to reach a deal. A deal is something that two parties reach through equal gains and equal sacrifices," said Shaath, criticizing that Trump gave everything to the Israelis before Palestinians even see the written document supposed to be "Deal of the Century."

This year, Trump made a series of decisions such as the closure of the Palestine Liberation Organization office in Washington and the cessation of financial support for Palestinians as well as the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA).

Shaath accused Israel of ignoring the Oslo Accords and its obligations under international legitimacy resolutions.

"There is no peace process now and the Israelis are violating all the agreements of Oslo and they don't respect any partner," he said.

Shaath said that the Palestinian Authority (PA) is holding contacts with several world governments to uphold international obligations and try to push the peace process.

According to Shaath, Trump "is making everyone angry all over the world," forecasting that he is responsible for weakening the U.S. with his decisions, especially that related to the Iran nuclear deal.

"I think the expression of that anger will come gradually. It already started with all the countries of the world standing against Trump in his rejection of the Iranian nuclear agreement," he added.

He stressed that the Palestinians are pursuing with world leaders the possibility of creating a new international and multilateral umbrella for the peace negotiations with Israel.

"We want peace, but we want that peace to be chaperoned by a multipolar, multilateral modality based on agreements signed with Israel under the UN resolutions and international law," he said.

The Palestinian leadership has resorted to the International Criminal Court to start an investigation into Israeli violations against Palestinians since 2015.

Trump recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel late last December and decided to move the U.S. Embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to the city, which was considered by Palestinians as a provocation and a flagrant violation of international law.

They disqualified the U.S. from being the sole sponsor of the peace process with Israel and called for an international multilateral peace mechanism to overlook peace negotiations.

Soon after, the U.S. administration declared reducing funding to the UNRWA, and cut it off completely by last September, in addition to cutting off around 500 million U.S. dollars in Palestinian aid.

They said in several statements that the U.S. plan for peace in the Middle East, known as "Deal of the Century," falls way short of their expectations and aspirations for lasting and just peace settlement.

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