Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas on Tuesday continued his exaggerated response to US President Donald Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel by threatening regional war.
Speaking in Cairo, Abbas stated:
“Jerusalem is the key to peace if it is our capital, and if it is not – it is the key to war. Trump will need to chose.
“There is no such thing as a Palestinian who will give up even one millimeter of Jerusalem.”
There were two key problems with Abbas’ remarks.
First, it has by now become clear that Trump’s declaration regarding Jerusalem was not really all that interesting to the rest of the Arab world.
As we’ve reported previously, the Egyptian government has quietly been encouraging its people to accept that Jerusalem is Israel’s capital, and that the Palestinians should be able to reasonably establish their capital in Ramallah.
Before that, a top Saudi expert explained to the Arab world why Trump was right to accept Israel’s claims to the Holy City.
In other words, contrary to Abbas’ assertions, the Arab world is actually distancing itself from hard-line Palestinian positions vis-a-vis Jerusalem.
The second problem with what Abbas had to say in Cairo is that it once again highlights the fact that the true end-goal of the Palestinian cause is to eradicate all Jewish sovereignty anywhere in the city.
Abbas spoke of not surrendering even “one millimeter” of Jerusalem, meaning he will never truly accept Israeli control even over the western side of the city.
Originally posted at Israel Today.
