Scottish Friends of Palestine أصدقاء فلسطين الأسكتلنديين

Press Release December 2017

Trump’s new Jerusalem

Scottish Friends of Palestine joins with the many in condemning the decision of Donald
Trump to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. It is the consequence of a dysfunctional
president of the USA with no understanding nor concern for international law.
In 1948 West Jerusalem was invaded and occupied with its Palestinian residents terrorised
into fleeing for their lives. The Zionist forces then ignored the international status of the city
and claimed it as part of Israel. In 1967 East Jerusalem was similarly invaded and occupied
by Israeli forces and illegally annexed. Today’s decision by Trump is a direct consequence of
the contempt long displayed by the international community when it comes to the rights of
the Palestinian people and their attachment to the city.
The further consequence will be a ratcheting up of the tensions and violence which define
today’s Middle East. The much vaunted two state solution, as a harbinger of peace, could
prove to be dead in the water. It could lead to a new phase in the struggle for Palestinian
rights – with a single, apartheid-free, state the only option if war, violence and terror is not to
take permanent hold in the region.