Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, in a recent letter, warned [Independent article] President-Elect Trump against moving the US embassy in Israel to Jerusalem. Specifically, Abbas said the move would have a “disastrous impact on the peace process, on the two-state solution and on the stability and security of the entire region.” The new administration’s plan has also been criticized by many in the international community, who have hypothesized that the move could lead to violence. Palestinian officials have expressed their belief that the move could put to a halt the two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and one official has even likened the move to “a declaration of war.”

The Israeli-Palestinian conflict has been at the forefront of recent international news and reports. Human Rights Watch claimed [JURIST report] recently that some senior Israeli politicians are calling for Israeli soldiers and police to kill Palestinians whom they suspect of harming Israelis, even if the suspects are not currently dangerous. A spokesman for British Prime Minister Theresa May condemned remarks [JURIST report] made by US Secretary of State John Kerry on the current Israeli government. In a speech given in December, Kerry criticized the building of Israeli settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, stating that such actions jeopardize prospects of peace in the Middle East. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in December summoned the ambassadors of the 14 UN Security Council members [JURIST report] who supported a resolution condemning Israel’s settlement in Palestine to rebuke them for the vote. Following the passage of this resolution, Netanyahu also ordered the country’s foreign ministers to reevaluate Israel’s ties to the UN within the month.