Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas has asked Russian President Vladimir Putin to help stop the United States from moving its embassy to Jerusalem, a top Palestinian official said on January 13.
Saeb Erekat, who is secretary-general of the Palestine Liberation Organization, said he passed on the message from Abbas to Putin during a visit with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Moscow.
"The letter asks President Putin to do what he can about the information we have that President-elect Donald Trump will move the embassy to Jerusalem, which for us is a red line and dangerous," Erekat said.
The U.S. embassy is currently in Tel Aviv.
Abbas has warned that Palestinians may "reverse" their recognition of Israel if Trump makes the move.
"Not only would this move deprive the United States of all legitimacy in playing a role in conflict resolution, it would also destroy the two-state solution," Abbas told the French daily Le Figaro on January 13.
The Palestinians regard east Jerusalem as the capital of their future state, while Israel proclaims the entire city as its capital.
The city's status is one of the thorniest issues of the decades-long Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
