Palestinian President Will Not Meet Pence
إقرأ هذا الخبر بالعربية
Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas will not hold a planned meeting with US Vice President Mike Pence following Washington's controversial policy shift on Jerusalem, an Abbas aide said on Saturday.
"There will be no meeting with the vice president of America in Palestine," diplomatic adviser Majdi al-Khaldi told AFP.
"The United States has crossed all the red lines with the Jerusalem decision," he added.
The White House warned on Thursday that cancelling the meeting planned for later this month in the West Bank would be "counterproductive", but Abbas has been under heavy domestic pressure to shun Pence following President Donald Trump's recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital.
Jibril Rajoub, a senior member of Abbas's Fatah party, told AFP the same day that Pence was "not welcome in Palestine"
US President Donald Trump recognised Jerusalem as Israel's capital on Wednesday in a move that outraged Palestinian leaders, but which was hailed as historic by Israel.
The move was fully supported by Pence.
Abbas has said Trump has disqualified the United States from its longstanding role as peace broker in the Middle East conflict.
Pence is expected to visit Israel and the Palestinian territories sometime before Christmas.
09 December 2017, 15:52
20
Which just goes to show how much he is not interested in "Peace with Israel" and would much prefer "Pieces of Israel"
One of these years, if he lives that long, he will slowly begin to realise that the only way to have peace and an independent state for the Palestinian people is to talk with Israel.
09 December 2017, 17:08
11
To understand Israel you have to understand white racism as the culture of western Europe in the modern era (since "the discovery of America"). phillipo gives us an opportunity to study this phenomenon in person.
09 December 2017, 17:31
20
No matter what you think of me personally there is a very important matter that you must remember.
Every single war, except what is going on between Israel and the Palestinians, has ended after the two sides have sat down and talked with each other (Remember WWI, WWII, Korean War, Vietnam War).
What Abu Mazen should do is to say clearly that on .......date, at........place, he is willing to sit down and talk non-stop with the Israelis (just like Saadat did at Camp David) until a peace treaty is hammered out. Then, and only then, if Netanyahu refuses, can he turn round and claim that the Israelis don't want reach peace, as until now is is he who has refused to talk to them for almost 4 years.
10 December 2017, 16:44
00
Abbas needs to refuse any funds from the US, whether the funds are provided directly or through the UN or other international organizations.
