Lebanese parliamentarian calls for Trump boycott

The speaker of the Lebanese parliament Tuesday called to boycott US President Donald Trump for recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.

By Margot Dudkevitch

In addition to calling for a boycott of US President Donald Trump based on his recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, the speaker of the Lebanese parliament on Tuesday demanded that all embassies from Islamic countries who have their missions in Washington, move elsewhere. Speaking at the Parliamentary Union of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation Member States conference in Tehran, Nabih Berri said the steps must be taken against Trump’s administration “until he revokes his position regarding Jerusalem.”

Berri also called to halt all peace negotiations with Israel and for the annulment of the Oslo peace accords which formed the basis for the Israeli Palestinian peace track. He added that all Israeli embassies located in Arab and Muslim countries must be shut down, and that “peace negotiations be halted until a clear announcement is made by Israel to halt all settlement construction,” the Lebanese news site Naharnet quoted Berri saying.

His statements came just hours after Palestinian Liberation Organization’s Central Council in Ramallah voted in favor of demands to annul the Oslo agreements, end security cooperation with Israel and suspend ties with Israel until it recognizes the “state of Palestine.”

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, who voted in favor of suspending ties with Israel, called the American president’s peace efforts “the slap of the century.”

On December 6, 2017, President Trump announced Jerusalem must be recognized as the capital of the Jewish State, enraging the Arab world and many European countries.