Obama suggests that moving USA embassy to Jerusalem could be ‘explosive’

“Of course I remember what I said about Jerusalem”, he told the newspaper.

He also warned the incoming Trump administration not to “underestimate” the message of peace sent by the conference or the United Nations resolution last month condemning Israel’s construction of settlements in the West Bank and east Jerusalem.

Salman Elherfi, speaking to The Associated Press, insisted “the option of two states is not the dream of a single country, but it has become the concern of the whole world to protect it”. She said it appeared that the Palestinian embassy had not been briefed properly by their own government and it was regrettable that it issued a “false public statement” without conferring with the party or with its own principals.

Spicer’s statement comes less than 24 hours after US President Barack Obama warned his successor to be sure he’s “thought it through” this proposal, warning that “unilateral actions” in a volatile region like the Middle East can be “explosive”. In addition, UNSC resolution 2334 should be a firm foundation on which to base the quest for peace, and must not be equated with the July 1, 2016 recommendations of the Quartet which were not accepted by the Palestinian people nor with the U.S. Secretary of State’s Principles of December 28, 2016 which echo Israeli priorities and diction. “What is required is action, first and foremost by the parties themselves”.

The so-called Paris Peace Summit, attended by officials from 70 countries on Sunday, was thankfully only smoke and mirrors as it failed to denounce Israel and recognize Palestine as a state.

“I cannot wait to start working with Israel”, the president-elect added.

“My fellow citizens, during the last eight years, the Obama administration has pushed for a settlement building freeze, has surrendered to the Iranians and radical Islam, and abandoned Israel to a hostile United Nations resolution”.

Trump’s team made a decision to stick with its long-held plan to move the embassy in the face of warnings from Palestinian officials against it, including Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas, who said it was crossing “a red line”, as well as outgoing US Secretary of State John Kerry, who claimed it would lead to a regional explosion.

The Ministry noted that more than 70 governments and global organizations including the Quartet (US, European Union, Russia, UN), the five permanent members of the UN Security Council, Arab and European partners, G20 countries and “other actors committed to peace” were scheduled to attend.

To avoid this, most countries, including the USA have set up their embassies in Tel Aviv.

The Palestinian side has repeatedly declared its commitment to a peaceful settlement defined as the two-state solution on the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as the capital of the Palestinian state, and all permanent status issues being resolved on the basis of global law and worldwide humanitarian law. A French official quoted in The Wall Street Journal said another objective is to “show to Mr. Trump that there is consensus in the worldwide community for the two-state solution”.

Whether directly or indirectly, the French even “fund several other NGOs with alleged ties to the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) terror group”.

“There are risks therefore that this conference hardens positions at a time when we need to be encouraging the conditions for peace”.

He rejected Israeli criticism of the conference, saying the concept of a two-state solution to the conflict is “threatened” and must be reinforced if it is ever to happen.

While the Palestinians welcomed the conference, Israel called it “rigged”.

The people of Israel “walked through the desert for forty years until they reached the land promised by God”, he said.

“I think the president has been very clear that Israel has not gotten the attention it deserves or the respect in the last 8 years”, he continued.

Another controversial step taken by Mr. Trump is the appointment of his personal lawyer David Friedman as the US Ambassador to Israel. But the conference concluded instead with a plea for direct negotiations. “No one will do it in their place”, he said.

Paris, however, sent the wrong message to the Palestinians yet again.

The violent incidents were the latest in a wave of Israeli-Palestinian violence that erupted in the fall of 2015. Many believe that given the Obama experience, Prime Minister Netanyahu will delay the bill until the new administration in Washington is ready to deal with the fallout.

USA allies in the Middle East have warned Trump that moving the embassy could have “catastrophic consequences”, inflaming religious passions and rallying extremists in the region.

While a number of past presidents have promised to make the momentous move while campaigning, none have ever followed through, wary of stirring tensions in a city which both Israelis and Palestinians claim as their capital.

The last round of US -mediated peace talks collapsed in 2014.

The proposal drew an outcry from Palestinians and others who said it would kill any prospect for peace.