Five years on, US embassy relocation only escalates Palestinian-Israeli conflict, say experts

16 May 2023 11:02am

This aerial view taken on May 2, 2023 shows the Israeli settlement of Har Homa on Jebel Abu Ghneim hill, in the southern part of east Jerusalem. Israel has occupied the West Bank, home to around 2.9 million Palestinians, since the 1967 Six-Day War. Around 475,000 Jewish settlers also live there in state-approved settlements considered illegal under international law. (Photo by MENAHEM KAHANA / AFP)

RAMALLAH, Palestine - Five years after the United States moved its embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, the conflict between the Palestinians and Israelis has only been exacerbated, said Palestinian political analysts.

In respective interviews with Xinhua, Abdul Majid Sowailim and Khalil Shaheen, two Ramallah-based political analysts, said the "controversial" decision by former US President Donald Trump only exacerbated the conflict.

The analysts said that as a result of the US’ biased positions, the Israelis increased their violations against the Palestinians, including speeding up settlement activity and intensifying operations against the Palestinians in the West Bank.

Sowailim accused the US of "becoming a part of the political crisis between the Palestinians and Israel because of its endless and provocative bias towards the Israeli occupations."

Saying Joe Biden did not change any "controversial decisions issued by Trump," Sowailim condemned Washington for brazenly protecting Israel from any international punishment or accusation when it committed crimes against the Palestinians and violated international laws.

Sowailim was echoed by Shaheen, who said: "Since the US moved its embassy to Jerusalem, Palestinians no longer have faith or hope in Americans."

Neither Biden nor any other US president would change the American position towards the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, Shaheen stressed, noting that the Palestinian people expect "no political benefits from the US administration."

As for seeking a final solution to conflicts with Israel, the two analysts called on the Palestinian leadership to draw lessons from past experiences and turn to other powers that could push forward the Palestinian-Israeli peace negotiations, so as to end the decades-long conflict based on human rights.

In the 1967 Middle East war, Israel occupied the West Bank and East Jerusalem, which are claimed by the Palestinians. Since then, Israel has populated the area with Jewish residents. The international community considers the establishment of Israeli settlements in the occupied territories illegal.

The Palestinians have been seeking to establish a Palestinian state on the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital. - BERNAMA-XINHUA