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Roundup: Palestinians slam Trump's remarks after meeting with Netanyahu

Xinhua, February 16, 2017 Adjust font size:

The Palestinians slammed on Wednesday United States President Donald Trump's remarks on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict he made in the joint news conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Washington.

Ahmed Majdalani, the official in Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), said that Trump's remarks are a retreat in the traditional positions of former U.S. administrations, adding that remarks from the press conference "indicated that there is intersection in the political positions of both sides."

He said that the U.S. is moving from "the position of being biased to Israel" to "the position of becoming a partner with Israel" in supporting settlement and the military occupation of the Palestinians territories.

The PLO official accused the U.S. of backing the Israeli government and providing a cover to impose a political and a diplomatic unilateral solution.

"Such a unilateral solution would only serve the interests of the two sides and never achieve just peace," said Majdalani, voicing refusal of this solution.

Trump urged Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday to curb settlement activity but avoided any explicit endorsement of a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, a longstanding bedrock of U.S. Middle East policy.

The two leaders met face-to-face for the first time since Trump's victory in the 2016 presidential election, as Palestinians urged the White House not to abandon their goal of an independent state.

Speaking at a joint news conference, Trump vowed to work toward a peace deal between Israel and Palestinians but said it would require compromise on both sides and it would be up to the parties themselves ultimately to reach an agreement.

The last direct bilateral talks sponsored by the U.S. between Israel and the Palestinians stopped in 2014. The talks lasted nine months and end with deep differences over the issue of Israeli settlement, security and recognizing an independent Palestinian state.

Hamas spokesman Hazem Qassem in Gaza said that "all U.S. administrations, including Trump, have been always biased to the Israeli occupation and have never been one day seriously acting to give the Palestinian people their rights." Endit