Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas again blasted U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday, saying his decision to recognize contested Jerusalem as Israel's capital was "sinful."
Abbas, who openly cursed Trump over his policies earlier this week, told a conference in Egypt on Wednesday that the U.S. has disqualified itself from continuing as a broker in the long-stalled Israeli-Palestinian negotiations.
Abbas said Palestinians "will continue to peacefully pursue our demands until we win back our rights."
U.S. President Donald Trump, he said, "made a mistake in his Jerusalem announcement. He openly and blatantly provoked millions of Muslims. His declaration is a lie. The decision on Jerusalem violates the policies of all previous American administrations."
"How can we possibly trust this administration?" he wondered. "We can't, and we never will."
The Palestinian Authority leader's comments at the Egypt conference on Jerusalem came ahead of a weekend visit to the region by U.S. Vice President Mike Pence.
Pence is the most senior American official to visit the Middle East since Trump's Jerusalem decision in December. He will visit Egypt, Jordan and Israel but the Palestinians have insisted they will refuse to meet with him.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is on a state visit to India, said on Monday that "Abbas has shown his true colors. He has torn off his mask and made clear the simple truth that I have been trying to expose for many years: The root of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict lies with the Palestinians' fundamental and constant refusal to recognize a Jewish state in any borders."
Responding to Abbas' Cairo address Wednesday, Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan remarked that the Palestinian Authority president was on a "path of destruction."
"He is destroying any chance the youngsters in Nablus and in Ramallah have of a better future," Erdan exclaimed. "In his Cairo speech, he continued to wildly incite against Israel and the U.S. in a dangerous way that could ignite the entire region."
"The West needs to stop funding his journey of incitement and to send a clear message to him: Get your act together or step aside," Erdan said.
