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Palestinian official confirms Trump warned Abbas about embassy move

PA head Mahmoud Abbas’ spokesman announced that Donald Trump spoke to the Palestinian president about the US’ intent to move its embassy from Tel Aviv to the Israeli capital of Jerusalem.

By: World Israel News Staff

Nabil Abu Rudeinah, who serves as the official spokesman for Palestinian Authority president Mahmoud Abbas, announced Tuesday that US president Donald Trump had spoken with Abbas regarding “his intention” to move the US Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

“POTUS called to brief President Mahmoud Abbas on his intention to move the US embassy to Jerusalem,” tweeted the Palestine Liberation Organization’s negotiating office on Tuesday.

The tweet linked to a report published by WAFA, the official PA news site, which did not indicate whether Trump had provided a timeline for the embassy move.

This development comes shortly after Trump elected not to sign a waiver that would have permitted him to delay moving the embassy. The waiver process related to the embassy was instituted by a 1995 law that requires the US to relocate the embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, but permits the president to postpone the move every six months based on national security concerns.

Every sitting president since the law was enacted continued to sign the waiver, until Trump permitted the deadline for signing to pass on Monday at midnight.

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Abu Rudeinah claimed that Abbas warned Trump about the serious consequences of moving the US Embassy to Israel’s capital, Jerusalem, citing potential fallout related to security, stability and the “peace process,” according to WAFA. Abu Rudeinah apparently also made reference to repercussions in the region and globally, which is consistent with the Palestinians’ tactic of portraying the peace process with Israel as intrinsically connected to the West’s relations with the rest of the Arab world.

In addition to Abu Rudeinah’s revelations regarding Trump’s call to Abbas, Trump also communicated with Jordanian King Abdullah about the US Embassy move to Jerusalem, reported the Jordanian Royal Court’s official website. The Jordanian monarch apparently also expressed apprehensions about the embassy move.