Palestinian Christians in Bethlehem burned posters of President Donald Trump on Tuesday evening in furious protest against Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.
The Christians burned posters featuring Donald Trump’s face and the text “Jerusalem, Palestine’s heart, is not up to negotiations,” joining hundreds of other Palestinians who gathered in Gaza and Ramallah to burn similar posters and U.S. flags, according to the Daily Mail. The Palestinians protested Trump’s imminent recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and the move of the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem, which Trump is expected to officially announce in a Wednesday address at 1 p.m.
Rami Hamdallah, the prime minister of the Palestinian state said Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem will “destroy the peace process and the two-state solution.”
Each U.S. president since the Jerusalem Embassy Act of 1995 has signed a waiver every six months during their terms delaying the recognition of Jerusalem as capital and the move of the U.S. embassy. Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem will put the U.S. in full compliance with the act, but several other Palestinian officials and world leaders echoed Hamdallah, saying that the move will preempt any peaceful solution between Israelis and Palestinians. (RELATED: FLASHBACK: All The Times Past Presidents Promised To Move US Embassy To Jerusalem)
“There is no way that there can be talks with the Americans. The peace process is finished. They have already pre-empted the outcome,” said Palestinian official Hanan Ashrawi, according to Daily Mail. “They cannot take us for granted.”
Even Pope Francis weighed in on Trump’s possible recognition of Jerusalem as the Israeli capital, urging world leaders to respect “the status quo of the city, in conformity with the pertinent resolutions of the United Nations.”
“I cannot silence my deep concern over the situation that has emerged in recent days. Jerusalem is a unique city, sacred for Jews, Christians and Muslims,” Francis added.
Russian president Vladimir Putin, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the Chinese Foreign Ministry, U.K. Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs Boris Johnson, and several Islamic leaders also expressed opposition to the move, warning that that it could spark violent backlash among Palestinians.
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