Featured image: Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh (Source: Wikimedia Commons)
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Trump’s tenure in office has been pockmarked by numerous reckless and irresponsible actions – recognizing Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and intending to move America’s embassy there his latest outrage, thumbing his nose at Palestinian rights.
His motivation wasn’t about wanting Israeli/Palestinian conflict resolution – just the opposite, his action likely to incite greater violence and instability.
Palestinian rage followed his Wednesday announcement, well publicized in advance, coming as no surprise, especially from an Islamophobic warrior president hostile to peace and stability, one-sidedly backing Israel, partnering in its high crimes, spurning fundamental Palestinian rights.
Commenting on Trump’s pronouncement, Mahmoud Abbas said his action “constitutes a deliberate undermining of all peace efforts.”
“(T)he United States has withdrawn from playing” in peace talks. Trump “violat(ed) international resolutions and bilateral agreements (notably Oslo), reward(ing) Israel for denying agreements and defying international legitimacy that encourages it to continue the policy of occupation, settlement, apartheid and ethnic cleansing.”
Abbas called for an “emergency meeting of the PLO’s Central Committee to create a “unified national position” against Trump’s move.
His “decision tonight will not change the reality of the city of Jerusalem, nor will it give any legitimacy to Israel in this regard, because it is an Arab Christian and Arab Muslim city, the capital of the eternal state of Palestine,” he added.
Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh called for challenging Trump’s move, saying:
“We should call for and we should work on launching an intifada in the face of the Zionist enemy.”“We call on all the free people of Palestine to participate in a day of rage on Friday, and make it the beginning of a new intifada. Tomorrow, our people will launch an intifada against the occupation, and we are confident that we will achieve a victory and liberate our sacred land.”“…(T)he peace process between Palestinians and Israelis was sacrificed, and there will be no ‘deal of the century.’ ”
From the Vatican, Pope Francis said
“I cannot remain silent about my deep concern for the situation that has developed in recent days.”“Jerusalem is a unique city,” sacred to Jews, Christians and Muslims, where the holy places for the respective religions are venerated, and it has a special vocation to peace.”
Oslo is dead. Since agreed on, it solely served Israeli interests. An emergency Security Council was called for Thursday at the request of eight member states – Bolivia, Britain, Egypt, France, Italy, Senegal, Sweden and Uruguay, deputy Swedish UN ambassador Carl Skau, saying:
“The UN has given Jerusalem a special legal and political status, which the Security Council has called upon the international community to respect. That is why we believe the Council needs to address this issue with urgency.”
Bolivian UN ambassador Sacha Sergio Llorenty Soliz called Trump’s move “a reckless and a dangerous decision which violates international law and the resolutions of the Security Council.”
In November 1947, UN Resolution 181 gave Jews 56% of historic Palestine, Palestinians 42%, 2% (including Jerusalem) kept under world body trusteeship.
In December 1948, UN Resolution 194 mandated free access to Jerusalem, other holy places, along with granting diaspora Palestinians the right of return to their homeland – Israel to pay compensation for lost property to families or individuals choosing not to return.
In May 1949, UN Resolution 273 gave Israel UN membership, conditional on it accepting resolutions 181 and 194, along with “unreservedly (agreeing to honor) the obligations of the United Nations Charter.”
Israel flagrantly violated them throughout its history, inflicting nearly 70 years of state-terror on defenseless Palestinians.
Francis Boyle believes Trump’s pronouncement may disrupt US relations with Arab countries, likely provoking West Bank and Gaza protests against Israel’s illegal occupation, possibly causing an upsurge in regional violence.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and EU leaders expressed opposition to the move.
Iran denounced it, a Foreign Ministry statement saying
“(t)he Islamic Republic…always stressed that the most important reason behind instability and insecurity in the Middle East is (Israel’s) continued occupation, the US’ relentless support for the Zionist regime, and denying the oppressed Palestinian nation the right to establish an independent state with al-Quds (Jerusalem) as it capital.”
Trump’s move was recklessly irresponsible, regional instability already apparent, angering the Arab street, showing Palestinians they have no friend in Washington.
Nothing good will come from his outrageous action.
Stephen Lendman is a Research Associate of the CRG, Correspondent of Global Research based in Chicago.
VISIT MY NEW WEB SITE: stephenlendman.org (Home – Stephen Lendman). Contact at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal..net.
My newest book as editor and contributor is titled “Flashpoint in Ukraine: How the US Drive for Hegemony Risks WW III.”
The original source of this article is Global Research
Copyright © Stephen Lendman, Global Research, 2017
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