Last Friday, January 6th the PA official news agency Wafa quoted PA President Mahmoud Abbas saying:
“We heard a lot of statements relating to moving the US embassy, which we hope are not correct and will not be implemented, but if implemented then the peace process in the Middle East, and even peace in the world, will be in a crisis we will not be able to come out from.”
“We say to those who said it, and this is the US President-elect Donald Trump, we invite you to visit Palestine, especially Bethlehem, next year, and that this statement is not on your agenda because any statement or position that will disrupt or alter the status of Jerusalem is a red line that we will not accept it.”
“Some people in the past talked about this subject and did not do anything. So we hope the US administration does not move the embassy, and to implement UN resolution 2334, which it did not object to nor did use its veto against him, and thus it had approved the resolution, which had international consensus,” Abbas stated.
Last week, senior Fatah officials said that the Palestinians would start a “new violent uprising” if the embassy was moved to Jerusalem. Abbas’ statement was more of the same.
The question is if Abbas’ threat of violence will scare Trump as it did Obama. Perhaps it’s time for Trump to put Abbas back in his place and teach him not to threaten a world power.