U.S. President Donald Trump said during a rally in West Virginia on Tuesday that Israel will have to pay a "high price" in its negotiations with the Palestinian Authority (PA) in return for his decision to move the American embassy in Israel to Jerusalem. Trump added that the PA will "get something very good" in return for the embassy move "because it's their turn next," according to a report in Haaretz.
He did not offer any details on what the Palestinian Arabs will get in return for the embassy move. Last December, Trump officially recognized Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and pledged to move the U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. The embassy relocated on May 14, the date in 1948 on which the State of Israel was established.
The embassy move angered PA chairman Mahmoud Abbas, who declared he could no longer accept the role of the United States as a mediator in talks with Israel.
In his remarks on Tuesday, Trump said that since Jerusalem is now "off the table", Israel will have to give something in return to the Palestinian Arabs.
"If there's ever going to be peace with the Palestinians, then this was a good thing to have done," Trump said on the embassy move. "We took it off the table. In past negotiations, they never got past Jerusalem. Now Israel will have to pay a higher price, because it's off the table. The Palestinians will get something very good, cause it's their turn next."
Trump also pointed out that he "now understands" why previous presidents did not follow through on their promises to move the American embassy to Jerusalem, saying he received endless phone calls from world leaders urging him not do it. (Read More)
