TEL AVIV – Israeli lawmakers on Sunday decried President Donald Trump’s declaration that he wouldn’t “even think about” moving the U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem until a peace deal between Israel and the Palestinians is “given a shot.”
Jerusalem Affairs Minister Ze’ev Elkin said he was saddened by Trump’s decision, especially since Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas is not a true partner for peace.
“I am very disappointed that President Trump chose to delay implementing his campaign promise to move the US embassy to Jerusalem due to an illusion that a real peace process can be advanced with the current Palestinian administration,” Elkin said.
“Anyone who sees the incessant incitement from the PA, which refuses to stop paying salaries to terrorists, elects a murderer as Hebron mayor and embraces Hamas, understands that the last thing to expect from Abbas now is advancing peace.”
Deputy Foreign Minister Tzipi Hotovely said on Sunday that Israel “can’t give peace a chance when Hamas and Fatah want to be a part of the same government.”
“If you really would like to give peace a chance you would move your embassy to Jerusalem, in order to ensure that Jerusalem will never be divided,” she said.
Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat said he was confident that Trump would nevertheless fulfill his pledge to move the embassy to Jerusalem.
“Moving the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem, the eternal capital of the State of Israel and the Jewish people, is the right thing to do, with or without a peace agreement,” Barkat said. READ MORE
