Palestine condemns US for merging consulate into new embassy in Israel
Palestine has condemned the US move to merge the Consulate serving the Palestinian people into the new US Embassy in Israel, located in Jerusalem.
Secretary General of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) Saeb Erekat has strongly condemned the US Government's decision to merge the Consulate serving the Palestinian people into the new US Embassy in Israel, located in Jerusalem.
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| Palestine Liberation Organization Secretary General Saeb Erekat. (Photo: Getty Images) |
Speaking on October 18, Saeb Erekat stressed that the Trump administration is clearly supporting Israel rather than a two-state solution. The US is fully supporting Israel on issues such as Jerusalem, Palestinian refugees and resettlement. Secretary-General Saeb Erekat affirmed that Palestine cannot remain silent any longer and will take necessary steps to respond.
The Palestine Liberation Organization Secretary General also said that the US move proves that Washington cannot play a role in creating peace. Instead, the Trump administration is part of the problem, not part of the solution.
The statement by the Palestine Liberation Organization Secretary General came shortly after US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced plans to merge the Consulate serving the Palestinian people into the new embassy in Israel to become the sole US diplomatic mission in Jerusalem.
Pompeo said in a statement on October 18 that Washington has made no changes to its policies on Jerusalem, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. The US remains committed to peace efforts between Israel and the Palestinians.
Tensions between Israel and Palestine have been escalating since December last year, when US President Donald Trump decided to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and move the US Embassy from Tel Aviv to there./.