Palestinians’ reactions on Trump’s visit

CAIRO – 24 May 2017: Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas met Tuesday, May 23, 2017 with U.S. President Donald Trump in the Palestinian city of Bethlehem during his visit to Israel and Palestine to revive the stalled peace process.

“I had a meeting this morning with President Abbas and can tell you that the Palestinians are ready to reach for peace," Trump said in his speech at the Israel Museum according to Reuters.

Trump added that “[both] sides will face tough decisions. But with determination, compromise, and the belief that peace is possible, Israelis and Palestinians can make a deal." Moreover, he clarified that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu showed intentions to reach for peace during their meeting.

Abbas mentioned, in a joint press conference with Trump, that the U.S. president’s visit and his statements renewed the hope of reaching a comprehensive peace agreement. He also affirmed that Palestinians adhere to their demand that East Jerusalem would be the capital of the Palestinian state.

Furthermore, Abbas renewed his commitment to a peaceful solution and to the negotiations with the Israelis saying, "There is no problem between us and the Jewish religion, the problem is between us and the occupation."

Trump’s visit comes with the intensive spread of Palestinian security forces and presidential guards to ensure the security of the American president.

Upon his arrival at the Palestinian presidential palace in Bethlehem, he was welcomed by the Palestinian president and an official reception where the national anthems of the U.S. and Palestine were played. Children also presented flowers to the American president.

The Palestinian National Authority spread large banners on the sides of the streets in Bethlehem and banners holding pictures of Abbas and Trump with the statement “the city of peace welcomes the man of peace.” In addition, Bethlehem’s streets were decorated with Palestinian and American flags.

On his way to Bethlehem, Trump passed through an Israeli checkpoint and saw the concrete separation wall between the occupied Palestinian territories and Israel.

The popular reaction to Trump’s visit was different. Palestinians had mixed feelings ranging from being cautiously optimistic to being angry. A group of Palestinian activists identified themselves as “the Supreme National Leadership Committee” called for a "Day of Rage" in conjunction with President Donald Trump’s visit to the West Bank. The committee consists of various Palestinian political factions including Fatah.

The group called for public demonstrations to drive attention to a month-long hunger strike by hundreds of prisoners held by the Israeli forces, and to protest the unfair U.S. support for Israel, according to a statement by the committee.

In their published statement on Sunday, the factions affirmed their rejection of the American position that is biased in favor of the occupation.

In addition, the Committee for Detainees and Ex-Detainees Affairs called for a day of anger in support of the prisoners who entered their 37th day of hunger strike. As a response to this call, supporters and families of the strikers demonstrated in Bethlehem upon Trump’s arrival in the city. The demonstrators held slogans demanding Trump to pressure the Israeli officials to respond to the strikers’ demands.

More than 1000 Palestinians marched to Qalandiya checkpoint from Ramallah carrying banners in solidarity with the Palestinian hunger strikers in the Israeli prisons. The demonstrators carried pictures of Trump, stating in Arabic, "U.S. policies are a disgrace to humanity. Trump's visit aims to sell disappointment to the Palestinians and to step over the Palestinian rights."

When the demonstration reached the checkpoint, they clashed with the Israeli forces who fired tear gas, rubber bullets and live ammunition.

In the Gaza Strip, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) held a march on Tuesday to denounce Trump's statements that the Palestinian resistance is an act of terrorism. Participants in the march held large banners written in Arabic and English saying, “Resistance is not terrorism.”

Through social media platforms, tweeps created #TrumpIsrael hashtag; a large number of activists interacted with the hashtag. Palestinian activists tweeted condemning Trump’s position on the Palestinian case.

Earlier on Sunday, May 21, 2017 during the Arab Islamic American Summit in Riyadh, Trump singled out Hamas as a terror organization.

Hamas rejected Trump's comments, saying it shows his "complete bias" towards Israel and a confirmation that Trump is following the policy of the previous U.S. administrations. In a statement on Sunday following the Riyadh summit, Hamas spokesperson Fawzi Barhoum said, “The statement describing Hamas as a terror group is rejected and is a distortion of our image and shows a complete bias to the Zionist occupation."