WASHINGTON -- The White House is hitting back against Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas over his speech earlier this morning dismissing any future role for Washington in the Middle East peace process, following US President Donald Trump's recognition last week of Jerusalem as Israel's capital.
Abbas said in a speech in Istanbul that the US had relinquished its historic position as a fair negotiator, and that "from now on" would no longer mediate Israeli-Palestinian peace talks. He characterized the move as a "crime" and a gift to the "Zionist movement," and claimed that the Trump administration had gone back on an agreement not to move its embassy to Jerusalem in exchange for a Palestinian commitment not to join additional international bodies.
Trump had promised the deal of the century, Abbas said. Instead they got the "slap of the century."
But a senior White House official told The Jerusalem Post that Abbas' speech, and those of other Arab and Turkish leaders gathered in Istanbul, would not deter the president or his peace team from moving forward.
"The president remains as committed to peace as ever," the official said. "This rhetoric, which has prevented peace for years, is not surprising, as we anticipated reactions like this. We will remain hard at work putting together our plan, which will benefit the Israeli and Palestinian peoples."
"It is also important to ignore the distortions and instead focus on what the president actually said last week– the specific boundaries of Israeli sovereignty in Jerusalem are subject to final status negotiations between the parties, the United States continues to take no position on any final status issues and the United States would support a two-state solution if agreed to by both sides," the official added. "We will continue to work on our plan for peace that we hope will offer the best outcome for both peoples and look forward to unveiling it when it is ready and the time is right."
Trump announced on December 6 that the US recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, without delineating which parts of the city would remain Israel's capital upon a final settlement with the Palestinians. Israel insists that the ancient city will remain its undivided and eternal capital, while the Palestinians demand a sovereign capital of their own in its eastern districts.
Other officials gathered in Istanbul questioned America's future role in the process, including Turkey's foreign minister. Over 50 countries were represented at the conference, which produced a communique condemning the US actions from last week.