Palestine condemns Trump's threat to cut aid as 'blackmail'
Palestine says Jerusalem is "not for sale" after Trump threatened to cut off annual aid to force the country's leaders to the negotiating table.
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Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. Photo:AFP. |
"Jerusalem is the eternal capital of the Palestinian state, not for sale for gold or billions of dollars," Nabil Abu Rudeina, spokesman for the Palestinian president, toldAFPToday, referring to US President Donald Trump's recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel on December 6.
Following the US decision, Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas declared that the US no longer has any role in the peace process in the Middle East.
"We are not against negotiations, but this process must be based on international law and resolutions that have recognized an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital," Abu Rudeina added.
Senior Palestinian official Hanan Ashrawi said in a statement that "we will not be blackmailed".
President Trump said on January 2 that the US "spends hundreds of millions of dollars a year on Palestine but receives no gratitude or respect.""The Palestinians are no longer willing to negotiate peace, why should we make huge future payments to them?", Mr. Trump wrote on Twitter.
The United States has long provided the Palestinian Authority with much of its budget and security support. It also spends $304 million on United Nations programs in the West Bank and Gaza. Many experts and analysts say these programs help maintain stability in the Palestinian territories.
