Abbas: The US “committed a crime” when it declared Jerusalem the capital of Israel

Official PA TV, excerpt of a speech given by PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas on Jan. 14, 2018, at the PLO Central Council in Ramallah

PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas: ""The [PLO] Central Council must – I demand this as a citizen – reexamine the signed agreements between the PLO and the government of Israel. I am a citizen who says that the government of Israel has led these agreements to a dead end, and therefore it is necessary to reexamine them… We will not accept the deals the US wants to impose on us. We will not accept its mediation after the crime it committed against Jerusalem [by declaring it Israel’s capital]. However, we will accept the UN's sponsorship of any political move whose goal is the end of the occupation and the achievement of peace. We will not agree to be an Authority without authority, and will not accept an occupation without [exacting] a price from the occupation forces."
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On Dec. 6, 2017, US President Donald Trump formally recognized Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and instructed the State Department to begin preparations to transfer the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. Trump added that the final borders of Jerusalem will be determined during negotiations.