ISTANBUL: Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas told Muslim leaders on Wednesday that a US decision to recognise Jerusalem as Israel's capital was a crime which showed that Washington should no longer play a role in Middle East peace talks. Addressing an emergency meeting of Muslim leaders in Turkey, Abbas said President Donald Trump was giving Jerusalem away as if it were an American city. "Jerusalem is and always will be the capital of Palestine," he said, adding Trump's decision was "the greatest crime" and a violation of international law. "I invite all countries supporting international law to recognise Jerusalem as the occupied capital of Palestine. It says any credible future peace deal will place the Israeli capital in Jerusalem, and ditching old policies is needed to revive a peace process frozen since 2014.

Source: New Strait Times December 13, 2017 10:41 UTC