MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 23rd August, 2018) The only thing US President Donald Trump can make to compensate for recognition of Jerusalem as Israeli capital and moving the US embassy there is to recognize East Jerusalem as the capital of the Palestinian state, Majdi Khalidi, a senior diplomatic adviser to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, said on Wednesday.
On Tuesday, Trump speaking at a rally in West Virginia and commenting on his decision on Jerusalem said that Israel will have to pay "a higher price" in future negotiations with the Palestinians as it is "their next turn" to "get something very good."
"The American administration made a major mistake when it recognized Jerusalem as Israels capital and moved its embassy there ... There is no compensation the administration could offer for those moves other than recognizing the State of Palestine with East Jerusalem as its capital and clearly defining the two-state solution as the sole solution," Khalidi told The Time of Israel.
According to Khalidi, the United States would have to recognize the two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict as "the sole solution," as quoted by the media outlet.
Both during his presidential campaign and after becoming US president, Trump promised to take steps toward settling the conflict between Israel and Palestine. Among the measures taken was ordering his son-in-law and senior adviser Jared Kushner and Special Representative for International Negotiations Jason Greenblatt to focus on the middle East conflict, and to work out a plan that could bring peace to the region. The two officials have made numerous trips to the region and held talks with local officials, but have not revealed the details of their proposals on the issue.
In December, Trump announced the recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, and the relocation of the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. The move has been met with mass protests by the Palestinians.
Notably, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said after these decisions were implemented that Ramallah would no longer accept the United States as a mediator in the Middle Eastern peace process.
