Trump announces recognition of Jerusalem
Trump announces recognition of JerusalemReuters

A senior official in the entourage of Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas, who left for Russia for a meeting with President Vladimir Putin, responded to President Trump's interview with Israel Hayom.

During the interview, most of which was published on Sunday, Trump claimed that the PA was uninterested in making peace with Israel, while adding that he was unsure if Israel was committed to reaching a deal with the PA.

When asked when the US intends to unveil its peace plan, the president responded by saying: "We are going to see what goes on. Right now, I would say the Palestinians are not looking to make peace, they are not looking to make peace. And I am not necessarily sure that Israel is looking to make peace. So we are just going to have to see what happens."

“I don't know frankly if we are going to even have talks, we will see what happens, but I think it is very foolish for the Palestinians and I also think it would be very foolish for the Israelis if they don't make a deal. It's our only opportunity and it will never happen after this."

President Trump also praised Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, calling him a “terrific leader”.

"I think [US-Israel relations] are great. I think Bibi Netanyahu is a terrific person, a terrific leader, I think the relationships are good, but I think they will be a lot better if they ever get to making a peace deal."

On Saturday, President Trump was quoted as saying in a teaser portion of the interview that his December 6th recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital was the high point of his first year in office.

"I think Jerusalem was a very big point. And I think it was a very important point. The capital, having Jerusalem be your great capital was a very important thing to a lot of people. I have been thanked and in some cases not thanked, to be 100% honest about it. But it was a very important pledge that I made and I fulfilled my pledge."

The senior PA official claimed that what Trump said in the interview demonstrated “how biased the opinion of Trump and is people is in favor of Israel.”

“To say that the Palestinians are the obstacle to peace and to present the extremist Israeli government and its leader as peace-seekers is a total distortion of the truth and falsification of reality," the official said. .

On Monday, PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas met with Russian President Vladimir Putin, telling him that the PA could no longer accept the US as mediator in talks with Israel because of Washington’s behavior.

“We state that from now on we refuse to cooperate in any form with the US in its status of a mediator, as we stand against its actions,” Abbas told Putin at the start of talks in Moscow.