Ramallah/Gaza, Aug 22: Palestine and the Islamic Hamas movement on Wednesday slammed US President Donald Trump for suggesting removal of the Jerusalem issue from the Middle East peace talks.
Ahmad Tamimi, a Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) Executive Committee member, in a press statement termed the US President's comments as "useless".
"Trump's remarks express the biased US policy towards Israel and a continuation of the US illusions, which include passing the new peace 'Deal of Century' without Jerusalem being the capital for the Palestinian state," he said.
"Trump won't be able to remove the issue of Jerusalem from hearts of the Palestinians, Arabs and Muslims," the senior PLO official said.
The Palestinian leaders have repeatedly announced their categorical rejection of any US Middle East peace plan that excludes Jerusalem, the refugees issue and Jewish settlements.
"We have removed the issue of Jerusalem from the negotiating table," Trump said in a speech in Virginia on Tuesday.
"During the negotiations, Israel will pay a much higher price because it has taken a very valuable gift," the US President added, referring to his recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel last December.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas earlier said that he will neither hold talks with the Trump administration nor accept it as the peace mediator before it backs down on its decision on Jerusalem.
Meanwhile, Hamas spokesman in Gaza, Sami Abu Zuhri, called Trump's decision to remove Jerusalem from Palestinian-Israeli talks "very dangerous".
"There should be a firm and strict Palestinian response like withdrawing the recognition of Israel, cancelling the security partnership and severing all contacts and ties with the US administration," he said in an e-mailed press statement
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Another North Goa nightclub sealed; Kejriwal says corruption led to fire tragedy
Panaji (PTI): As part of a crackdown against tourist establishments violating laws and safety norms in the aftermath of the Arpora fire tragedy, Goa authorities on Saturday sealed a renowned club at Vagator and revoked the fire department NOC of another club.
Cafe CO2 Goa, located on a cliff overlooking the Arabian Sea at Vagator beach in North Goa, was sealed. The move came two days after Goya Club, also in Vagator, was shut down for alleged violations of rules.
Elsewhere, campaigning for local body polls, AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal said the fire incident at Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub at Arpora, which claimed 25 lives on December 6, happened because the BJP government in the state was corrupt.
An inspection of Cafe CO2 Goa by a state government-appointed team revealed that the establishment, with a seating capacity of 250, did not possess a no-objection certificate (NOC) of the Fire and Emergency Services Department. The club, which sits atop Ozrant Cliff, also did not have structural stability, the team found.
The Fire and Emergency Services on Saturday also revoked the NOC issued to Diaz Pool Club and Bar at Anjuna as the fire extinguishers installed in the establishment were found to be inadequate, said divisional fire officer Shripad Gawas.
A notice was issued to Nitin Wadhwa, the partner of the club, he said in the order.
Campaigning at Chimbel village near Panaji in support of his party's Zilla Panchayat election candidate, Aam Aadmi Party leader Kejriwal said the nightclub fire at Arpora happened because of the "corruption of the Pramod Sawant-led state government."
"Why this fire incident happened? I read in the newspapers that the nightclub had no occupancy certificate, no building licence, no excise licence, no construction licence or trade licence. The entire club was illegal but still it was going on," he said.
"How could it go on? Couldn't Pramod Sawant or anyone else see it? I was told that hafta (bribe) was being paid," the former Delhi chief minister said.
A person can not work without bribing officials in the coastal state, Kejriwal said, alleging that officers, MLAs and even ministers are accepting bribes.
