GOP Lawmakers Urge Biden Pull Back From Reopening Palestinian Diplomatic Missions

By Staff Reporter
Posted on 06/09/21 | News Source: i24

Sen. Marco Rubio led a group of 16 lawmakers who said Sec. of State Blinken's remarks were "deeply concerning"

US Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL.) led a group of 16 Republican lawmakers in urging US President Joe Biden to "refrain from reopening the Mission of the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) in Washington, DC and the US Consulate General in Jerusalem for the Palestinians, according to a statement on Rubio's website.

Join BJL on WhatsApp Status: Click here to Join BJL status for engagements, births, deals, levayos, events & more

Join BJL on WhatsApp Groups: Click here to Join an official BJL WhatsApp group for breaking news as it happens

While the senators pointed out that they were committed to constructive engagement with the Palestinian people, they wrote about a number of concerns they have with the Palestinian's conduct. This included opposition to any Biden administration efforts to "provide rewards and incentives to the Palestinian leadership or Hamas for their abhorrent support of violence and terrorism, their efforts to press the ICC to illegitimately investigate Israel, and other efforts to circumvent direct negotiations with Israel.”

The GOP legislators particularly highlighted their concern at Secretary of State Anthony Blinken's recent announcement that the US would reopen the Consulate General in Jerusalem, as well as reports that the administration intended to reopen the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) offices in Washington, DC.

"It is particularly misguided at a time when the Palestinian Authority (PA), led by Mahmoud Abbas along with the Iran-backed terrorist organization Hamas, incited and supported recent violent riots, rock throwing, and other terror[ist] attacks in Jerusalem," they wrote. Read more at i24