Palestinian leader to respond to Trump's Jerusalem announcement in TV speech

Reuters
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas addresses the 72nd United Nations General Assembly at U.N. headquarters in New York, U.S., September 20, 2017. REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas will deliver a televised speech on Wednesday in response to U.S. President Donald Trump's anticipated announcement that Washington recognizes Jerusalem as Israel's capital, a Palestinian official said. "The president (Abbas) will first listen to President Trump's speech, and will then give a response," the official told Reuters, adding that the remarks would be broadcast on Palestine TV. Trump's announcement on Jerusalem, a city at the heart of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, was set for 1 p.m. EDT (1800 GMT). Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has so far held off on commenting explicitly about Trump's planned policy shift. (Reporting by Nidal al-Mughrabi; Editing by Alison Williams)