Palestinians warn against moving US embassy to Jerusalem

The US was warned by Palestinian officials on Saturday against moving its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

Member of Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) Executive Committee Hanan Ashrawi said that "such a step would destabilise the whole region, destroy the peace process, disqualify the US from its role in the region and generate a new wave of extremism".

"I hope that nobody would take such a step. This would be an extremely irresponsible and dangerous," said Ashrawi, who is also the head of Information and Culture Department.

She called the move "very dangerous and would transform into a religious issue", Xinhua news agency reported.

On Friday, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' spokesperson Nabil Abu Rudeinah said that the US recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel or moving its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem is "equal dangerous to the future of the peace process and would take the region into the square of instability".

Rudeinha stressed that any just solution of the Palestinian Israeli conflict should guarantee that East Jerusalem is the capital of the independent state of Palestine, cautioning that "failing to reach a solution to the Palestinian cause will prolong tensions, chaos and violence".

Media reports said that US President Donald Trump was considering recognizing Jerusalem as a capital of Israel and may announce that next Wednesday.

Trump issued the decision to keep the US embassy in Tel Aviv last June, which is expected to expire this month, but it is not clear yet if he will renew his decision or not.

The issue of moving the US embassy to Jerusalem is considered by Palestinians as a provocation and deconstruction of the peace talks.

The peace talks between Palestine and Israel have been stalled since April 2014. The US-sponsored talks that lasted for nine months achieved no tangible results.

--IANS

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