Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas said US President Donald Trump must abide by international law resolutions in regards to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.
“In the past year, Trump has undertaken initiatives in total violation of international law as he recognized Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and moved his embassy to Jerusalem,” he said during Christmas mass in Bethlehem late on Monday.
He also pointed to Trump’s decision to “punish all refugees” by cutting US funding to the UN Palestinian aid agency, UNRWA, and clearly supporting settlement building.
“We told him we cannot accept this,” Abbas said.
“We want Trump to rescind this and to implement international law.”
“We are not enemies of anyone and we are not enemies of America,” he stressed, adding that Palestinians want America’s friendship and good relations with it.
“However, it must deal with us in a just way. We are not asking for anything more than that.”
Abbas also stressed his commitment to peace efforts and renounced violence and terrorism, pointing to his signing of 83 security protocols to combat terrorism with world countries, including the United States.
His speech was in line with his position, which calls for excluding the US from being a mediator in the Palestinian-Israeli peace process following Trump's decision to relocate his country’s embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.
The mass was attended by Jordanian Interior Minister Samir Mubaidin, PA Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah, a number of ministers, senior officials, security chiefs and several citizens.
On the same occasion, Archbishop and Apostolic Administrator of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem Bishop Pierre Batista Pizzaballa called on the Palestinians not to abandon their lands.
Pizzaballa held the mass with the participation of a number of bishops, senior patriarchal figures, a number of parishioners, diplomatic delegations and visitors from various countries who arrived in Bethlehem to celebrate the occasion.
