Posted on 06/01/22
| News Source: Arutz-7
he London-based Arabic newspaper Asharq Al-Awsat is reporting that Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas has informed the United States, Egypt and Jordan that he will implement the PLO's central council decision to sever ties with Israel in lieu of the Jerusalem Day events.
According to the report, Abbas' move came after Jordanian and Egyptian efforts failed to persuade the US administration to adopt a plan to open a political process towards the establishment of a Palestinian state.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke to Abbas yesterday.
According to State Department spokesperson Ned Price, the two discussed "the importance of Israelis and Palestinians working to maintain calm and de-escalate tensions with Blinken emphasizing the importance of the U.S.-Palestinian relationship, and the Administration’s support for a negotiated two-state solution."
The conversation between Blinken and Abbas came hours after Price told reporters that the Biden administration remains "committed to opening a Palestinian consulate in Jerusalem."
“We continue to believe it can be an important way for our country to engage with and provide support to the Palestinian people,” he said.
“There are a number of steps that go into the reopening of any diplomatic facility. As you know, there are some unique sensitivities to this particular facility,” added Price.
The Biden administration has repeatedly expressed its desire to reopen the consulate despite Israel's firm opposition to the presence of a consulate for a foreign entity in its own capital.
The PA had a tense relationship with the Trump administration and had boycotted the US since 2017, in protest of Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and the relocation of the US embassy in Israel to the city.