Trump: Israel Must Be Prepared to Pay a Higher Price in Negotiations with Palestinians

Donald Trump, the President of the United States, stated that the U.S. government's decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and to move the U.S. embassy to this city has been a 'great' achievement for Israel, and that the country must now 'be prepared to pay a higher price in negotiations.' According to American and Israeli media, including Yedioth Ahronoth, Mr. Trump said on Tuesday night, August 30, during a Republican campaign event for the upcoming midterm elections in West Virginia: 'If peace is ever achieved with the Palestinians, it will be clear that the move of the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem and its recognition as the capital of Israel were the right steps.' The Trump administration recognized Jerusalem as Israel's capital on December 6 of last year, changing seven decades of policy by previous administrations, and moved the U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem on May 14 of this year. This decision faced protests from Palestinians and several countries. Palestinians, many countries around the world, and international organizations emphasize that East Jerusalem should be the capital of an independent Palestinian state. However, Donald Trump explained in his speech on Tuesday night in West Virginia that every time Israelis and Palestinians reached negotiations, 'they could not get past the recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. So I said, let’s take this (issue) off the (negotiation) table.' Mr. Trump emphasized that he fulfilled his campaign promise regarding Jerusalem, while all previous U.S. presidents made that promise but 'politicians' did not implement it. The U.S. President added: 'Now it is time for Israel and the Palestinians to return to the negotiating table; they always said that if peace between Israel and the Palestinians is achieved, it will be the hardest agreement. Now let’s see what happens.' He also stated that Palestinians will also reach a 'very good thing.' Donald Trump, in his meeting last month with King Abdullah II of Jordan in Washington, said that if a historic peace between Israel and the Palestinians is not achieved during his administration, no other government in the U.S. will be able to accomplish this goal. Benjamin Netanyahu, the Prime Minister of Israel, has remained silent regarding Donald Trump's statements for now. He previously stated that he is ready to negotiate, but Palestinians must first recognize Israel as a state for the Jews. Previously, Mahmoud Abbas, the President of the Palestinian Authority and the head of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), emphasized that 'the nature of Israel is related to this country, and Palestinians should not accept any nature that Israel insists on, but are willing to engage in comprehensive and fair peace talks aimed at fulfilling the long-standing demands of Palestinians.' Mr. Abbas reiterated his opposition to the 'deal of the century' at last week's PLO Central Council meeting in Ramallah, stating that this plan 'will never be accepted by Palestinians.' The Trump administration has announced that it is finalizing a new plan for achieving peace between Israel and the Palestinians, which will be presented soon. The U.S. President has referred to the peace agreement as the 'deal of the century.' The Israeli newspaper 'Maariv' reported a few days ago that the U.S. will announce the details of the 'deal of the century' next month. The Palestine Liberation Organization also rejected Mr. Trump's recent statements in a statement last Wednesday, considering it an imposition of Israeli policies by the U.S. on Palestinians. The PLO stated that the U.S. President's remarks are 'support for Israel' and 'continuation of the extensive delusions' of the U.S. government, which believes that what it calls the deal of the century is achievable without recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of the Palestinian state. Palestinians are demanding the return of control over areas such as the West Bank, Gaza, and East Jerusalem, which Israel occupied in the 1967 war. Additionally, according to Palestinian media, the Hamas group, which is recognized as a terrorist organization by the U.S., described Mr. Trump's remarks as 'brazen' and 'dangerous.' Jared Kushner, Donald Trump's senior advisor and special envoy for advancing negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians, has met several times with Israeli and Palestinian officials, but since the Palestinians severed their relations with Washington in protest of U.S. decisions regarding Jerusalem, negotiations with the Palestinians have stalled.