Red Line: US Risks 'Kissing Goodbye' to Its Role in Mideast Settlement

If the US moves its embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem it could kiss goodbye to its further participation in the Middle East peace process, Mustafa Barguti, leader of the Palestinian National Initiative Party, told Sputnik.

“Such a step would set a dangerous precedent for international law. Moving the US embassy to Jerusalem will amount to an official recognition of the

Israeli annexation [of Palestinian lands] and will fly in the face of dozens of international laws and UN resolutions denouncing the construction of Jewish settlements on Palestinian lands, occupied since 1967,” Mustafa Barguti  said.

He added that this would effectively make Washington “a partner of Israel in violating international law, which rules out any territorial gains achieved through the use of force.”

Mustafa Barguti said that a committee of the Palestinian Liberation Organization had met on Saturday to decide on measures to be taken if the US goes ahead with the embassy’s planned relocation to Jerusalem.

“The Americans should know that the Palestinian reaction will not take long coming,” Barguti warned.

During his recent presidential campaign Donald Trump promised that, if elected, he would move the US embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem

After his election, Trump appointed his campaign adviser David Friedman to serve as America’s new envoy to Israel.

In a statement issued by Trump's transition team, Friedman said he looked forward to moving the US embassy to "Israel's eternal capital, Jerusalem."

The location of foreign embassies in Israel is a sensitive matter as both Israelis and Palestinians consider Jerusalem as their capital. During the 1967 Six-Day War Israel occupied Arab-majority East Jerusalem, which was then under Jordanian control.

The US embassy, just like diplomatic missions of most other countries, is currently in Tel Aviv.

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