Lebanese PM: US saying Jerusalem is capital of Israel does not make it so

Published: JANUARY 24, 2018 17:33

Updated: JANUARY 25, 2018 09:41

Lebanon's Prime Minister Saad Hariri speaks at the Davos World Economic Forum

"I believe Trump wants peace, but he's trying a different way, maybe. That I don't understand."

Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri had strong words about the Israeli-Palestinian peace process at the World Economic Forum in Davos on Wednesday.

"Just look at the Palestinians," he remarked. "If you want peace, you have to accept the other, talk to the other, and accept that he has rights and those rights are not negotiable."

"If the United States is saying Jerusalem is the capital of Israel, it does not mean that Jerusalem is the capital of Israel," he continued. "The only way that this can work is if Israel makes peace with the Palestinians. How long do we have to hear about the Palestinian conflict?"

He stated that he believes the Israeli administration does not want to make peace with the Palestinians. "Full stop," he said.

"I believe Trump wants peace, but he's trying a different way, maybe. That I don't understand." The audience laughed at his last quip.

Hariri has had an interesting few months. After putting his country, and the region, on edge by resigning from his post, living in exile for a short while and then returning to Beirut.