US Ambassador Nikki Haley to the United Nations reaffirmed that the United States will not change its decision to move the Israeli US Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. The message was aimed for Palestinian leader Mahmound Abbas. However, he left the room before Haley took to the stand citing that the US position on a Israeli-Palestinian solution is unclear. Haley reiterated that the hope of the United States was that the solution would be met through compromise and negotiation and reassured the UN that the decision to move the embassy was unrelated to peace talks. The Trump administration has come out and said that it is unclear if either states want a peace agreement however the US would not "shut up" on its positions.
Palestinian leader Abbas exhibited unprofessional behavior today. He came out, gave his demands, and then did not stay to hear the American response. He cannot be expected to have any of his wishes made if he does not even agree to listen. The decision to move the US embassy to Jerusalem is of the personal right of the US however there were better ways for it to go along. The fact that most of the world does not support this decision shows that the Trump administration should have had a clearer stance on why the embassy was moved. Both sides need to sit down and have a conversation with each other so that this issue can be resolved.
https://www.cnn.com/2018/02/20/politics/haley-un-speech-abbas/index.html
Though the way Abbas conducted himself was less than professional, it is important to remember how sensitive the Israel-Palestine conflict is, and the symbolic significance of the US moving its embassy to a city that's extremely important to multiple cultures in a move that seems to support Israeli land claims and legitimacy in the face of Palestinian opposition; Abbas has reason for concern.
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