Palestinian Leader Warns US About Jerusalem Decision

Abbas speaks as Trump considers recognizing city as Israel's capital
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Dec 3, 2017 1:40 PM CST
Abbas Warns US Not to Recognize Jerusalem
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas   (Overshadowed by last week's showdown at the U.N. between the U.S. and North Korea, Abbas issued an ominous warning in his address to the world body. With hopes running out for an independent Palestinian state, the Palestinian leader said he may have no choice but to seek a single, binational state with Israel. AP Photo/Seth Wenig, File)

The Palestinian president has warned that the American recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital would jeopardize the White House's nascent Mideast peace efforts, the AP reports. According to the official Wafa news agency, President Mahmoud Abbas said Sunday that recognizing Jerusalem as the Israeli capital or moving the US Embassy to Jerusalem "represents a threat to the future of the peace process and is unacceptable."

American officials say that Trump may recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital this week as a way to offset his likely decision to delay his campaign promise of moving the US Embassy there. Israel regards Jerusalem as its capital, but the international community says the city's status should be determined through peace talks. The Palestinians claim east Jerusalem, captured by Israel in 1967, as their capital.

(More Israel stories.)

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