Palestinians have condemned a tweet by Donald Trump as blackmail, after the US President threatened to withhold future aid payments over what he calls the Palestinians’ unwillingness to talk peace with Israel.
Key points:
- The US spends around $400 million on economic support for Palestine annually
- Palestinians lash out, saying “Jerusalem is not for sale, neither for gold nor for silver”
- Mr Trump recognised Jerusalem as Israel’s capital last month
The tweet drew praise from a cabinet minister of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s right-wing government, but a former Israeli peace negotiator warned of the dangers in cutting off financial assistance to the Palestinians.
Read the article on the Radio Australia news site (Reuters).