PA PM: Trump’s decision on Jerusalem is “empty talk,” the PA will refuse US aid that is conditional
Official PA TV, direct broadcast from a press conference in Gaza, speech by PA Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah about US President Donald Trump’s decision to transfer the US embassy to Jerusalem
PA Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah: "[US President Donald] Trump has now taken an unprecedented step, to which the most important and strongest response is national unity [between Fatah and Hamas]…
And what did this Trump do? It is all empty talk. Just a piece of paper. It does not add or subtract. Others before him have made decisions, and what happened? The uprising of July [2017] – people without weapons – civilians - forced the [removal of the] metal detectors (refers to security measures at the Temple Mount following a terror attack there; see note below –Ed.). We say to Mr. Trump – may he hear us from here, from Gaza: We will stand before him in our national unity, and through our right and the justice of our national cause. And Palestine – it will definitely return. And a Palestinian state will definitely be established on the '67 borders, and its capital is East Jerusalem. This is our will and this is our policy.
And he, who will make a million decisions, yesterday [Dec. 6, 2017] boasted, signed, and showed people. We say to him that this decision is not worth the ink in his signature. And may he hear us, and stop the aid [to the PA], which he has already stopped anyway.
Two years ago he stopped the aid (sic., Trump was not president two years ago), and we say that we do not want aid and do not want anything from him. This aid is conditional, we do not want it. And we will be satisfied with little."
The mention of "metal detectors" refers to Israeli security measures at the Temple Mount, including metal detectors at the entrances, following an attack there on July 14, 2017, in which 2 Israeli border police officers were murdered by 3 Israeli Arab terrorists. On July 24, 2017, Israel decided to remove the metal detectors and security cameras it had placed at the site. The PA continued to demand that all measures including inspections at the entrances be removed, and Palestinians continued to riot. On July 27, 2017, PA religious leaders declared that all Israeli measures had been removed.
US recognition of Jerusalem as capital of Israel - On Dec. 6, 2017, US President Donald Trump gave a speech formally recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and stating that he had instructed the State Department to begin preparations to transfer the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. Trump concluded by stating that the US is still fully committed to the peace process in the Middle East. Following his speech, Trump signed the waiver to delay the transfer of the embassy, and apparently will continue to do so until preparations for the transfer have been completed.
PA Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah: "[US President Donald] Trump has now taken an unprecedented step, to which the most important and strongest response is national unity [between Fatah and Hamas]…
And what did this Trump do? It is all empty talk. Just a piece of paper. It does not add or subtract. Others before him have made decisions, and what happened? The uprising of July [2017] – people without weapons – civilians - forced the [removal of the] metal detectors (refers to security measures at the Temple Mount following a terror attack there; see note below –Ed.). We say to Mr. Trump – may he hear us from here, from Gaza: We will stand before him in our national unity, and through our right and the justice of our national cause. And Palestine – it will definitely return. And a Palestinian state will definitely be established on the '67 borders, and its capital is East Jerusalem. This is our will and this is our policy.
And he, who will make a million decisions, yesterday [Dec. 6, 2017] boasted, signed, and showed people. We say to him that this decision is not worth the ink in his signature. And may he hear us, and stop the aid [to the PA], which he has already stopped anyway.
Two years ago he stopped the aid (sic., Trump was not president two years ago), and we say that we do not want aid and do not want anything from him. This aid is conditional, we do not want it. And we will be satisfied with little."
The mention of "metal detectors" refers to Israeli security measures at the Temple Mount, including metal detectors at the entrances, following an attack there on July 14, 2017, in which 2 Israeli border police officers were murdered by 3 Israeli Arab terrorists. On July 24, 2017, Israel decided to remove the metal detectors and security cameras it had placed at the site. The PA continued to demand that all measures including inspections at the entrances be removed, and Palestinians continued to riot. On July 27, 2017, PA religious leaders declared that all Israeli measures had been removed.
US recognition of Jerusalem as capital of Israel - On Dec. 6, 2017, US President Donald Trump gave a speech formally recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and stating that he had instructed the State Department to begin preparations to transfer the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. Trump concluded by stating that the US is still fully committed to the peace process in the Middle East. Following his speech, Trump signed the waiver to delay the transfer of the embassy, and apparently will continue to do so until preparations for the transfer have been completed.