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Thursday, 7 December 2017

All anyone can talk about is the US embassy moving to Jerusalem

All anyone could talk about last night was US President Donald Trump’s announcement on moving the American Embassy in Israel to Jerusalem.

Trump’s decision violates international laws and agreements, none of which name Jerusalem Israel’s capital, the Palestinian President’s Advisor on International Affairs Nabil Shaath told Kol Youm’s Amr Adib. Shaath said Trump’s announcement will encourage others of Israel’s supporters, including the Philippines and some Eastern European nations, to also declare Jerusalem capital, which will give Israel further momentum to stand against international pressure and continue to violate international law (watch, runtime: 7:34).

The move — which has made Trump an “enemy of Palestine” — will be detrimental to the entire Arab world’s national security, Fatah Deputy Secretary Fayez Abu Eita told Adib. The Fatah movement will reject any proposals in the Israeli-Palestinian peace process that presume that Jerusalem is the Israeli capital (watch, runtime: 8:19).

The announcement may be part of Trump’s strategy to shift focus away from internal issues, including the ongoing FBI probe into his ties to Russia, George Washington University Professor Edmund Ghareeb offered Adib in the way of analysis (watch, runtime: 7:50).

Over on Al Hayah Al Youm, Palestine’s ambassador in Cairo Diab Nemr El Loh said that the fact that Trump went ahead with the decision shows just how little he knows about its impact on the region, (watch, runtime: 8:45).

On Yahduth fi Masr, senior Palestinian diplomat and former chief negotiator Saeb Erekat also said the decision was a misstep on The Donald’s part, particularly as it will fuel further extremism in the region.

Hamas official Salah Al Bardawil told Masaa DMC’s Osama Kamal that this is a turning point in Arab-American relations — and reveals just how much control Israel wields over the US under the guise of supporting the peace process.

Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Ahmed Abu Zeid confirmed to Kamal that Egypt is one of several countries to call for an emergency UN Security Council meeting. He also confirmed that Arab foreign ministers are scheduled to hold an emergency session on Saturday, while the Organization of Islamic Cooperation will meet on Wednesday. Abu Zeid stressed that the US recognizing Jerusalem as Israel’s capital does not change the city’s legal status in the eyes of international law, and that its ramifications will be purely political (watch, runtime: 9:10).

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