U.S. ambassador to Israel is ignorant: Hamas

CAIRO – 30 December 2017: “Statements made by the American ambassador to Israel are rejected and reflect the American underestimation with the Palestinian cause,” said Fawzi Barhom, spokesperson of Hamas Movement, in a statement on Saturday.

American Ambassador to Israel David Friedman described the Palestinian reactions to the American recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital city as “ugly, needlessly provocative and anti-Semitic.”

“Friedman’s remarks show how ignorant he is,” Barhom added in the statement.

He accused the American administration of being a partner in occupying the Palestinian territory, as well as in all the Israeli crimes and aggression.

Barhom reaffirmed Hamas’s refusal to the American mediation role in the peace talks.

“Palestine has to officially cut ties with the U.S. and declares the official death of the Oslo Agreement,” Barhom stressed.

“In light of the Palestinians now rejecting any U.S. role in the peace process, Friedman said there will be no process without Washington’s involvement,” Asharq Awsat newspaper wrote on Saturday.

Palestine said that several countries announced their initial approval to participate in the peace process talks instead of the United States, which was described as an "unfair" and "disqualified" mediator more than once by President Mahmoud Abbas.

According to an unnamed source described to be close to the Palestinian president by Al-Hayat, a London-based newspaper, the United States has been trying to resume peace talks again with the Palestinian side.

The source affirmed that the American administration was trying to deliver messages to the Palestinian authorities explaining that moving the embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem does not mean its withdrawal from peace talks, and that the decision does not mean they decided the state's final borders. It was added that more details about the Jerusalem situation will be determined only through negotiations between Palestine and Israel.

On December 6, U.S. President Donald Trump recognized Jerusalem as the capital city of Israel and announced the relocation of the American embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. This decision was condemned and rejected by all Arab and Islamic countries, as well as most of Western and Asian countries.

Hundreds of protesters took to the streets to denounce the American announcement on Jerusalem in different global cities and capitals.

On Sunday, Guatemalan President Jimmy Morales said he had given instructions to move the Central American country's embassy in Israel to Jerusalem, according to Reuters.

On December 19, Palestine’s Safa news agency revealed that Israel planned to inaugurate a synagogue near Al-Buraq Wall (Western Wall).

On December 21, the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) overwhelmingly passed a non-binding resolution condemning Trump’s decision and called on states not to move their diplomatic missions to Jerusalem.