Dubai: The US State Department has drawn the ire of Palestinian politicians who have threatened to suspend all communication with America if it implements its plan to close the Palestine Liberation Organisation’s (PLO) office in Washington.
Egypt has asked Palestine not to cut off communications with the US in response to State department’s threat, an Egyptian official said on Sunday.
Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry phoned senior Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat on Saturday night to insist on the importance of maintaining contact between Ramallah and Washington, Efe news agency reported.
- Tayseer Jaradat | Undersecretary at the Palestinian Foreign Ministry
Ahmad Abu Zeid, a spokesperson for the Egyptian ministry of foreign affairs, explained in a statement that Shoukry stressed the need for direct communication during the current stage, in which the international community hopes that negotiations will be resumed between the Palestinians and the Israelis.
Palestinian officials and analysts have also told Gulf News that the Palestinian threats were just meant to express rage at US measures, and that no official Palestinian position had been taken yet while awaiting more clarifications from the US.
“It is a surprising move,” said Tayseer Jaradat, Undersecretary at the Palestinian Foreign Ministry.
“I don’t know why it was taken, and [why] at this time. The US administration should be asked about it,” he told Gulf News.
Commenting on the Palestinian threats, Jaradat said the leadership had not yet taken a decision on ways of dealing with the US move. “The US administration has to explain why it took the decision to not renew the license of the PLO office in [Washington] DC,” he said.
Erekat described the US decision as “very unfortunate and unacceptable”.
In a video statement on social media, Erekat said: “We will put on hold all our communications with this American administration.”
Other Palestinian politicians also criticised the move.
However, analysts described the threat to cut all communications as just an angry reaction.
“Initial statements widely threatened to cut all communication with the US. However, from a practical point of view, a country can’t cut all communications with another. However, it can take reciprocatory measures,” said Jihad Harb, a West-Bank based analyst and columnist.
Palestinians cannot cut communications with the Americans because Washington is the main sponsor of the peace talks aimed at resolving the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, and because the US is the world’s only superpower, Harb said.
“The Palestinians will be unable to implement such a decision. [Also], there has been no official decision, but [only] statements and interpretations by some Palestinian politicians,” he explained.
The US State department has notified the Palestinian National Authority that it will not renew the licence of the Palestine Liberation Organisation’s Washington office, which is renewed every six months because this would violate the US laws.
In 2015, the US Congress approved a law restricting the licence of the PLO office from being renewed if (i) the Palestinians joined the International Criminal Court (ICC), and (ii) they attempted to prosecute Israelis at the ICC for crimes against Palestinians.
In the same year, the Palestinians joined the ICC, and they are also attempting to prosecute the Israelis for their crimes.
“If the US move was meant to put pressures on the Palestinians, then I don’t think it will work, because preserving Palestinian rights is the basis of [Palestinian] foreign policy,” Jaradat said.
“Since they got the status of an observer non-member state, Palestinians have the right to join the different UN organisations, agreements, and treaties,” Jaradat said.
Analysts said the move by Washington could also be related to the approaching announcement of US President Donald Trump’s vision to solve the Palestinian issue. He has said he would make an announcement either later this year or by early 2018.
The Palestinian Foreign Ministry issued a statement expressing its “surprise” with the US move, and urged Washington to reconsider its decision.
—With inputs from agencies
