Middle East Monitor / January 29, 2021
The Palestinian Authority (PA) leadership yesterday welcomed the US’ announcement that it hoped to reopen the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) office in the American capital Washington DC.
“The US administration’s intention to restore aid programs to the Palestinians and to open diplomatic missions is a positive step,” a member of the PLO’s Executive Committee, Azzam al-Ahmad, told Anadolu Agency, adding that the PA was “in contact with Washington on resuming ties.”
“The Palestinian leadership is committed to not accepting any exclusive American sponsorship of any peace negotiations with Israel,” he stressed, noting that the PA was requesting an “international conference on the peace process between Palestine and Israel supervised by the United Nations.”
On Tuesday, the US envoy, Richard Mills, told the UN Security Council that the new American President Joe Biden was planning to “restore credible US engagement with Palestinians as well as Israelis,” adding that US assistance would include “supporting economic development and humanitarian aid for the Palestinian people and to take steps to re-open diplomatic missions that were closed by the former US administration.”
The Trump administration had stopped US support to the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) and closed the PLO’s liaison office in Washington.
