Palestinians greet Trump presidency with caution

Some Palestinians appear worried that President-elect Donald Trump will not coddle them the way President Obama has.

The Palestinians greeted Donald Trump’s victory with apprehension, while several Palestinian Authority (PA) leaders issued almost identical statements, expressing their cautious hope that Trump’s administration will be the one to bring “peace to the region” and implement the two-state solution.

PA head Mahmoud Abbas congratulated Trump and “expressed hope that a just peace will be achieved during his tenure.”

PA Presidential Spokesman and Fatah Central Committee member Nabil Abu Rudeina stated that the Palestinians “will work with any president the American people elect on the basis of achieving peace in the Middle East, which is based on the two-state solution within the June 4, 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem the capital of the State of Palestine.”

Abu Rudeina added that “peace in the region will come through a fair solution to the Palestinian issue according to [the resolutions of] the international bodies, which will lead to the elimination of the chaos and extremism in the world.”

It is of significance to note that the two-state solution has been stricken from the Republican platform presented during these elections.

A more outspoken reaction to the US election came from PLO Executive Committee member and Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP) political bureau member Tayseer Khaled, who commented on the possible impact on the “Palestinian national cause.”

Among other things, he called Trump a liar, predicting that Trump, contrary to his promises, will not transfer the US Embassy in Israel to Jerusalem.

“There is no reason for concern, because [although] we know that Donald Trump is relatively closer to Israel than Hillary Clinton is, his policy here is clearer than her policy… Donald Trump will not transfer his country’s embassy to Jerusalem as he promised, and he knew he was lying. On the issue of settlement, he will not object to construction in Jerusalem and what are called the settlement blocs. He will not sign blank checks for [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu, but he undoubtedly will not pull our chestnuts out of the fire [either]. Therefore, it depends on our policy and our will, and if his Palestinian policy remains the same we will pay dearly,” he said, according to the Palestinian Media Watch (PMW).

In April, the Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, the official Palestinian daily, commented on Trump’s candidacy with a cartoon, in which Trump is seen beheading the torch of the Statue of Liberty.

Similarly, the PA’s Supreme Fatwa Council in September “condemned the election promise that US Candidate Donald Trump made to recognize Jerusalem as the ‘united capital’ of Israel if he is elected as president,” and stated that “exploiting Jerusalem as part of the American election campaign constitutes disrespect of international law.”

By: World Israel News Staff

Palestinian AuthorityUS 2016 elections