GAZA/RAMALLAH, Jan. 25 (Xinhua) -- Palestinians were outraged by U.S. President Donald Trump's "irresponsible" remarks on Thursday on peace in the Middle East.
Trump said earlier Thursday at the World Economic Forum held in Davos, Switzerland that Jerusalem was removed from the agenda of the Mideast talks and it was time to start a peace plan "that is excellent for both the Palestinians and Israel."
However, he said the Palestinians can get financial aid from the United States only if they agree to resume peace negotiations with Israel.
He said the Palestinians "didn't respect us last week when they boycotted the visit of U.S. Vice President (Mike) Pence."
Nabil Abu Rdineh, spokesman for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, said in an official statement that if Jerusalem is excluded from the negotiations, the United States will also be excluded from the peace process.
He stressed that the United States will not have a role in the Middle East peace process as long as it does not regret its decision on Jerusalem.
"The policy of using money to blackmail the Palestinians and use of the policies of starvation and kneeling are all condemned and rejected," the spokesman said.
Saeb Erekat, secretary general of Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) Executive Committee, said in a statement that "Trump's remarks humiliated Muslims, Christians and Jews all over the world."
"Those who believe that the Jerusalem issue was removed from the negotiations table, should know that peace was also removed from the table," said Erekat, adding that "his remarks clearly show that he can never be a relevant sponsor to peace."
In April 2014, nine months of direct peace talks between Israel and Palestine sponsored by the United States ended without any breakthrough due to deep differences on Israeli settlements and the recognition of a Palestinian state with east Jerusalem as its capital.
On Dec. 6 last year, Trump declared Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and that he intended to move his country's embassy from Tel Aviv to the city.
Israel considers all Jerusalem as its eternal capital, while the Palestinians consider the eastern part of the city, which was occupied by Israel in 1967, as the capital of their future independent state.
