President Trump (L) and President Abbas
Photo: AFP
Palestinian FM reportedly recalls US envoy for consultations
Palestinian Minister of Foreign Affairs Riyad al-Maliki recalls Palestinian envoy to US back to Ramallah for consultations in response to President Trump's Jerusalem recognition; 'Jerusalem will be our eternal capital, and none will stand in our way,' President Abbas says in speech on anniversary of Fatah founding.
The rift between the Palestinian Authority and the United States following President Donald Trump's recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital widened Sunday, with Palestinian Minister of Foreign Affairs Riyad al-Maliki recalling his envoy to the US Husam Zomlot back to Ramallah for consultations, the Palestinian news agency Wafa reported.
While the reasons for Zomlot's impending return were not specified, it is fair to assume it was done in response to President Trump's declaration, as well as his intentions to move the US Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.
Palestinian President Abbas (R) recalled his US Envoy to Ramallah following President Trump's recognition of Jerusalem (Photo: AFP)
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas declared at a rally Sunday marking the anniversary of his Fatah movement's founding that "Jerusalem will remain the eternal capital of the Palestinian people, despite any attempts to change its history and geography—to enable others to claim it as their own."
"None will stand in the way of achieving our goal, and we will not revisit the stupid mistakes of the past. We will remain here until the land of Palestine is liberated and east Jerusalem is our eternal capital," the Palestinian leader added.
In a meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron, the Palestinian president announced that "The United States is no longer an honest mediator in the peace process, we will not accept any plan put forward by the United States because of this partisan spirit."
