Trump Vows Palestinians Will ‘Get Something Very Good’ in Talks
- Trump Vows Palestinians Will ‘Get Something Very Good’ in Talks
by Nadine Dahan, https://www.middleeasteye.net/
US President said Israel would pay a higher price in negotiations now the issue of Jerusalem has been taken ‘off the table’
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US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday night that the Palestinians will get “something very good” in peace negotiations following his decision to relocate the American embassy in Israel to Jerusalem. Speaking at a rally in West Virginia, Trump said that Israel will “pay a higher price” in the negotiations because of the embassy move, stating that it was the Palestinians’ “turn next”.
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European and Middle East powers have awaited a much-discussed peace plan from Trump’s administration for months. UN diplomats have recently begun questioning whether the US peace plan will ever materialise but leaked details of the plan, which would involve Palestinians relinquishing claims over East Jerusalem among other concessions, have angered Palestinians.
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Gaza has been under blockade from both Israel and Egypt since 2007. But indirect negotiations between Gaza’s Hamas rulers and Israel brokered by Egyptian and UN officials in recent weeks have reportedly included discussions to ease the blockade, although the elements of the deal remain unconfirmed.
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“If there’s ever going to be peace with the Palestinians, then this was a good thing to have done,” Trump said, referring to the embassy move, and US recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.
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“We took it off the table. In past negotiations, they never got past Jerusalem. Now Israel will have to pay a higher price, because it’s off the table. The Palestinians will get something very good, because it’s their turn next.”
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Following Trump’s decision, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas condemned the embassy move, and Palestinians observed a strike, closing down shops and bringing daily life to a halt. The move attracted widespread condemnation from the majority of world leaders.
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