If Jerusalem is off the table peace is off the table, says Erekat

Palestinian official Saeb Erekat said yesterday that the US President Donald Trump is not qualified to manage the peace process, stressing that his recent remarks about occupied Jerusalem are “an act of irresponsibility”.

During a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on the side lines of the Davos Economic Forum in Switzerland, Trump said:

“You could never get past Jerusalem, we got it off the table. I hope the Palestinians want to make peace.” He then added: “We give them tremendous amounts. That money is on the table. Why should we do that, if they’re doing nothing for us.”

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“President Trump’s irresponsible statement during his meeting with the occupying state’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Davos only reaffirms that the US [should be] disqualified from playing a mediating role in peace talks,” Erekat said.

He continued: “Jerusalem is not off the negotiating table, rather the US is outside international consensus. Those who say that Jerusalem is off the table are saying that peace is off the table. The holy city is in the heart of each and every Palestinian, Arab, Christian and Muslim, and there will be no peace without East Jerusalem being the sovereign capital of the State of Palestine.”