Palestinians recall envoy to US for consultations after Jerusalem move

Palestinian local media reports indicate discussions will be about future steps PA will take in response to Trump’s move

President Mahmud Abbas refuses to meet US Vice President Mike Pence (AFP/file photo)

Sunday 31 December 2017

The Palestinians said on Sunday they were recalling their envoy to the United States for consultations in a move that follows US President Donald Trump's designation of Jerusalem as Israel's capital.

Palestinian Foreign Minister Riad al-Malki decided to recall PLO envoy to Washington Husam Zomlot, official Palestinian news agency WAFA said, without providing further details.

Palestinian local media reports indicated that discussions will be about the future steps the PA will take in response to Trump’s announcement, according to the JerusalemOnline website.

Trump's 6 December announcement regarding the disputed city deeply angered the Palestinians and led to weeks of unrest.

Palestinian officials had earlier said President Mahmud Abbas would refuse to meet US Vice President Mike Pence during a visit to the region that had been planned for December but which was later cancelled.

He has also said he would accept no further role for the United States in the Middle East peace process.

Violence since Trump's announcement has left 13 Palestinians dead, with most killed in clashes with Israeli forces.

On Sunday, while marking the 53rd anniversary of his Fatah movement, Abbas called Jerusalem "the eternal capital of the Palestinian people".

Jerusalem's status is perhaps the most sensitive issue in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Israel sees the entire city as its capital, while the Palestinians want the eastern sector as the capital of their future state.

Israel occupied east Jerusalem and the West Bank in the 1967 Six-Day War. It later annexed east Jerusalem in a move never recognised by the international community.