(MENAFN- Jordan Times) U S President Donald Trump assured Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during their one-on-one meeting on Thursday on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, that Jerusalem, the whole city of Jerusalem, is non-negotiable from now on, meaning it belongs to Israel and Israel alone.
As if Trump's recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel last month was not bad enough, he now upped the ante by asserting that Jerusalem in its entirety is a done deal in favour of Israel.
The US president did not even stop there when he also expressed the view that US economic aid to the Palestinians would be suspended as long as the they shun peace talks with Israel. It is as if the mere participation in peace talks per se with Israel is all that it takes to solve the chronic Palestinian conflict now in its 70th year.
The Palestinian side is countering Trump's bellicose rhetoric on Jerusalem and the stalled peace process on the Palestinian conflict by telling the world that the US is no longer a serious partner in the efforts to settle the Palestinian question and that the Palestinian leadership is looking elsewhere in search for other sponsors of peace efforts with Israel, an invitation that has yet to receive a reply from any quarter.
Never before had the Palestinian case reached such a deadlock with the fortunes of peace for it dwindling to an all time low.
On the other side of the ledger, His Majesty King Abdullah went out of his way to tell the international community at Davos that withstanding the new US stance on the peace process between Israel and the Palestinians, Jerusalem is the key for peace, not only on the Palestinian front but also for the entire regional front as well.
The King also reiterated that the two-state solution remains the only sensible and sustainable solution to the Palestinian problem in its entirety as it remains the heart and centrepiece of all regional conflicts no matter how it is going to take to settle it on the basis of international resolutions and the 2002 Arab peace initiative.
The Palestinians have waited 70 years for justice and surely they can wait more if necessary till their full national rights for statehood with East Jerusalem as the capital are realised.
MENAFN2701201800280000ID1096397425
Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.