Istanbul/Ramallah (dpa) - Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas says there in no role for the US in an Israeli-Palestinian peace process following Washington‘s move to recognize Jerusalem as Israel‘s capital. Abbas said that US is no longer "qualified to mediate in the peace process" and demanded that a "new mechanism" headed by the UN be established to achieve a Palestinian state, with East Jerusalem as its capital. "These unilateral steps by [US] President [Donald] Trump will not give any legitimacy to Israel in Jerusalem. It is a Palestinian Arab Muslim Christian city, the eternal capital of the state of Palestine," Abbas said. Abbas‘ speech at a meeting of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in Istanbul comes a week after Trump declared Jerusalem to be Israel‘s capital, upending decades of US policy towards the divided city and sparking a diplomatic firestorm. The US has long been the main interlocutor for the Israeli-Palestinian peace process, capstoned by the US-brokered Oslo Accords, signed in 1993, which paved the way for establishing Abbas‘ PA government. "There can be no Palestinian state without the city of Jerusalem as its capital and there will be no peace in the region and in the world without it," he added. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, among the fiercest critics of the Jerusalem move, said the decision rewarded Israel for "terrorist actions." "With this decision, Israel, which is responsible for occupation, blockade, unlawful settlements, home demolitions, evictions, land asset appropriations, disproportionate violence and murders, was rewarded for all its terrorist actions," Erdogan said. Islamic leaders are meeting in Istanbul to coordinate a response to Trump‘s decision to recognize Jerusalem as the Israeli capital and move the US embassy there, sparking anger among Palestinians and broader Muslim society.The one-day event is being attended by heads of state and government, including Erdogan, Jordanian King Abdullah II, Qatari leader Sheikh Tamim al-Thani and Iranian President Hassan Rowhani.Jordan‘s Abdullah, who is the formal custodian of Jerusalem‘s Muslim holy sites, says that US recognition of Jerusalem as Israel‘s capital is a "dangerous and destabilizing decision.""Our region cannot enjoy peace without the two-state solution," the monarch said, referring to a peace formula proposing one state for Israel alongside a Palestinian state. Palestinian youths have clashed with Israeli forces in recent days, leading to two deaths among protesters in Gaza. Israel captured the eastern half of Jerusalem in the 1967 Six-Day War and later annexed the territory. Palestinians hope for East Jerusalem to be the capital of their future state.By the end of the summit, the leaders are expected to have a joint position. At least 20 countries had said they will send a president or prime ministers, according to the Turkish Foreign Ministry.
