Palestinians vow to cut ties with US if PLO office is closed
RAMALLAH : The Palestinians will freeze their ties with the US if it follows through on a threat to close the Palestine Liberation Organisation’ so ff ice in Washington, a senior PLO official has warned.
The surprise American move and Palestinian backlash came as US President Donald Trump seeks bargaining chips in his bid to broker an elusive Israeli-Palestinian peace deal.
Trump has a 90-day window to avert the closure if he deems progress has been made.
But PLO Secretary General Saeb Erekat said his organisation had officially informed Washington that “we would put on hold all our communications with this American administration” if the office were closed.
The PLO, which the international community sees as representing all Palestinians, must have its permission to operate its premises in the American capital renewed every six months.
Palestinian foreign minister Riyad al-Malki said it was the first time since the 1980s that the State Department had refused to renew it. Malki told AFP Palestinian officials had received a letter from Washington two days ago “saying that the Secretary of State had not found enough rea- sons to keep the office open”.
“This has not happened in the past, and we have demanded clarifications from the State Department and the White House,” he said.
They told us that there would be a meeting of senior legal experts on Monday. Then they would give a clear answer,” he said, adding that Palestinian leaders would then meet to discuss their response.
A US State Department official cited “certain statements made by Palestinian leaders” about the International Criminal Court as the reason behind the non-renewal.
Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas was “deeply surprised” by the State Department’s move, his spokesman Nabil Abu Rudeina said in remarks carried by official Palestinian news agency WAFA on Saturday.