US President Donald Trump said Tuesday night Israel will pay “a higher price” in peace talks with the Palestinians due to his decision to recognize Jerusalem as capital of the self-proclaimed Israeli state.
Speaking at a campaign rally in Charleston West Virginia Trump said “It was a good thing to have done” referring his recognition of Jerusalem and the relocation of the US embassy to the holy city.
“We took it [Jerusalem] off the table. Because every time there were peace talks they never got past Jerusalem becoming the capital. So I said let’s take it off the table. And you know what? In the negotiation Israel will have to pay a higher price because they won a very big thing.”
Trump’s statements echoed ones he has made in the past. Speaking alongside Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu earlier this year in Switzerland Trump said “They never got past Jerusalem. We took it off the table. We don’t have to talk about it anymore.”
The Palestinians’ frustration with the White House dates back to last December when Trump formally recognized Occupied Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and set in motion plans to move the US embassy there from Tel Aviv. The new compound was eventually opened in May.
