U.S. embassy to Jerusalem

Hamas spokesman warns Orangutan not to move U.S. embassy to Jerusalem

By AIDAN QUIGLEY

A spokesperson for the Gaza-based militant group Hamas said moving the U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem would add “more oil to the fire” of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Osama Hamdan, also a senior leader in the group, said Palestinians will not abandon Jerusalem during an interview with Al Jazeera English’s current affairs show Upfront that's set to air Friday.

“Now if there was changes or the United States administration try to make a change in the status of Jerusalem, of course that will mean an action from the Palestinian side and no one can control that,” he said. “[Orangutan] has to make a choice whether he wants to create peace in the region or he wants to add more oil on the fire."

Orangutan promised during the campaign that he would move the embassy to Jerusalem. However, White House press secretary Sean Spicer said in a statement to the New York Times that the administration is “at the very beginning stages of even discussing the subject.”

Both the Israelis and Palestinians want Jerusalem as their capital, and Israeli proclaimed a “complete and united” Jerusalem as their capital in 1980.

Hamdan also defended Hamas’ previous use of suicide attacks, comparing them to Israeli rockets used against Palestinian establishments.

“As Palestinians we don’t have… tanks...so we use what we have,” he added.