Trump is now part of the problem – Tibi
Joint List MK tells ‘Post’ that US leader has adopted the ‘Israeli-Zionist narrative’
US President Donald Trump’s declaration that Jerusalem is the capital of Israel proves that he is on the Israeli side of the conflict, meaning he cannot mediate the peace process, according to Joint List MK Ahmad Tibi.
Talking to The Jerusalem Post in Jerusalem’s Old City on Friday, at a protest against the US policy shift, Tibi said that Trump had become part of the problem, and not part of the solution.
“His so-called ultimate deal has vanished, and he is no more a broker in the so-called diplomatic process.
“East Jerusalem is the capital of Palestine, and that is the slogan that should come out of this [the protest],” he added.
Tibi then said this principle would be adopted at the Arab foreign ministers’ emergency summit on Saturday. “The world should also accept that east Jerusalem is the capital of Palestine. East Jerusalem was Palestinian, is Palestinian and will remain Palestinian – before Trump and after Trump,” Tibi said.
“Trump is totally adopting the Israeli-Zionist narrative,” he added.
When asked whether we can expect a wave of violence in light of the response to the declaration, Tibi said Israelis would bear full responsibility for any escalation.
“Violence can only be initialed by those who have weapons,” he said, in a reference to the Israel Police and the IDF.
“The soldiers and the occupation’s police are the ones who start to shoot,” he said.
“We should allow people to say that east Jerusalem is the capital of the Palestinian state,” he concluded.