Peace process ‘finished’. Now what?

Why occupied Jerusalem matters Abbas’ response so far Other options A moment of truth Help from Europe

The dramatic US policy shift on Israeli-occupied Jerusalem was slammed by the Western-backed Palestinian leadership as a dangerous betrayal and game changer that is bound to propel them into a risky confrontation with the US and Israel on the global stage.

Here is a look at what could come next. Trump’s recognition on Wednesday of Occupied Jerusalem as Israel’s capital contradicts long-standing international assurances to the Palestinians that the fate of the holy city will be determined in negotiations. With Trump’s sharp pivot, the US is seen as siding with Israel, which claims all of Jerusalem, including the Israelioccupied eastern sector the Palestinians seek as a future capital. Israel’s occupation was never recognised by the international community.

The dispute over Jerusalem forms the core of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, but transcends a mere real estate argument.

The city, home to Judaism’s holiest site, is also sacred to billions of Muslims and Christians worldwide, and perceived slights to their claims have triggered major protests or violence in the past. Abbas has been trying to rally international support, reaching out to leaders from Pope Francis to the EU foreign policy chief and Arab leaders. He warned Trump in a phone call that the US shift will rock the region and threaten Washington’s plans for a Mideast peace deal.

In a speech after Trump’s announcement, Abbas said the US has effectively removed itself from any role as a Mideast broker,

but he did not say what immediate steps, if any, the Palestinians plan to take. Abbas is to hold internal consultations with officials from the Palestine Liberation Organisation and his Fatah party, and was planning to meet yesterday with his closest Arab ally, King Abdullah of Jordan.

Fatah supports halting contacts with the US Consulate in Occupied Jerusalem, closing the PLO office in Washington and filing a complaint against the US at the UN Security Council over plans to move its embassy.

The Palestinians could also try to press prosecutors at the

International Criminal Court to charge Israeli leaders with war crimes over its assaults on Gaza and illegal colony building,

Abbas has refrained from such a step until now, under apparent US pressure. The crisis over Occupied Jerusalem may push Abbas, the most steadfast Palestinian champion of seeking statehood through negotiations, to a point he avoided for so long — acknowledgement that the “peace process” isn’t working, at least in its current format.

Critics have argued that endless negotiations mainly serve Israel by providing diplomatic cover for its expansion of colonies on occupied lands.

Any talks with US officials are now “superfluous and irrelevant,” said Hanan Ashrawi, a senior PLO official. “The peace process is finished.” Abbas has warned in the past that a failure to achieve a so-called two-state solution could prompt Palestinians to pursue a single state for two peoples, a prospect most Israelis reject. The Palestinians are increasingly looking to Europe for help, encouraged by the harsh criticism of Trump’s Jerusalem policy by European leaders.

European states in the past were relegated by Washington to the role of paymaster, sending hundreds of millions of dollars in aid to support the Palestinian self-rule government and help manage the long-running conflict.

European states are less permissive of Israeli violations than the US, especially on colonies.

Palestinians now hope the growing rift between European leaders and the US over Occupied Jerusalem will earn them diplomatic points. An immediate goal is to persuade influential Western European countries to recognise a state of Palestine.