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Palestinians cancel Capitol Hill Christmas over Trump remarks

The Palestinian mission in Washington abandoned attempts to court the White House and Congress with the mission's first-ever Christmas party on Capitol Hill after it was announced that President Donald Trump would make a major statement on the status of Jerusalem on Wednesday.
Fireworks explode during a Christmas tree lighting ceremony outside the Church of the Nativity in the West Bank town of Bethlehem December 3, 2016. REUTERS/Mussa Qawasma - RC1514D50930
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WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump's foray into the touchy politics surrounding the status of Jerusalem claimed its first casualty Tuesday night when the Palestinian mission abruptly canceled what was supposed to be its first-ever Christmas party on Capitol Hill.

Trump is expected to recognize the holy city as Israel’s capital Wednesday while delaying relocation of the US Embassy from Tel Aviv for another six months, as presidents have done since Congress first required the move in 1995.

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