RAMALLAH, January 2, 2018 (WAFA) – Nabil Abu Rudeineh, spokesman for President Mahmoud Abbas, said on Tuesday that US President Donald Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem as capital of Israel and the Israeli parliament, the Knesset, vote on the “unified” Jerusalem law are a declaration of war against the Palestinian people and their political and religious identity.

"This vote clearly indicates that Israel has officially declared the end of the so-called political process and has already begun to impose dictating and de facto policies,” he said in a statement.

"There is no legitimacy to the Trump decision, and there is no legitimacy to all the decisions of the Israeli Knesset. We will not allow in any way to allow such plans that are dangerous for the future of the region and the world to pass.”

Abu Rudeineh warned against the ongoing Israeli escalation attempts to exploit the American decision, which he warned will destroy everything. He said this requires Arab, Islamic and international action to confront what he described as “Israel’s uncontrolled behavior that is pushing the region into the abyss.”

The statement said the meeting of the Palestinian Central Council on January 14 will discuss taking all necessary measures at the national level to face these challenges that target the national and religious identity of the Palestinian people.

It said the Israeli government bears responsibility for this daily and dangerous escalation, adding that any attempt to remove Jerusalem from the political equation will not lead to any solution or settlement.

M.K.