USA. increases pressure and closes the Palestinian mission in Washington

[Blexfraptor]

The general secretary of the PLO denounced a "dangerous escalation" in US measures.

 

The United States announced on Monday the closure of the mission of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) in Washington, increasing the pressure for the Palestinians to enter into peace talks with Israel.

"We have allowed the PLO office to carry out operations that support the goal of achieving a lasting and comprehensive peace between the Israelis and the Palestinians since the expiration of the previous dispensation in November 2017," said the spokesperson for the State, Heather Nauert. "However, the PLO has not taken steps to advance in the beginning of direct and meaningful negotiations with Israel," he added.

The decision of Washington joins the cancellation of bilateral aid of 200 million dollars, the cut of funds to the UN agency that helps millions of Palestinian refugees and the suppression of the contribution of 25 million dollars to hospitals Palestinians of East Jerusalem.

"The administration decided, after careful examination, that the general office of the delegation of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) in Washington should close," the State Department said.

The White House is trying to force the Palestinians to return to the peace negotiating table, they have been bogged down since April 2014, and a plan promised for months by US President Donald Trump is waiting.

"The PLO leaders have condemned a US peace plan that they have not yet seen and have refused to engage with the US government in respect to peace efforts," the US diplomacy added.

"In this way, and as a reflection of the concerns of Congress, the administration decided that the PLO office is going to close for the time being," the statement said. This Monday the number two of the PLO, Saeb Erakat, had advanced the decision made by the United States.

The representative of the Palestinians in Washington, Hosam Zomlot, told reporters in Ramallah that the United States justified the closure of the PLO's representation in the Palestinian efforts to bring Israeli leaders to international justice for "war crimes."

'List of orders'

The administration of Donald Trump "specifies the list of orders requested by (Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin) Netanyahu," Zomlot told reporters in Ramallah.

"The list includes Jerusalem, the question of refugees, the right of return (of these), the colonies, (the Gaza Strip) and the partition of this and the West Bank," he added. Erakat stressed that the Palestinians will not "succumb to the threats of the United States," nor in their efforts to judge the crimes they believe the Israeli leaders have committed, according to a statement.

Far from giving in, the Palestinians plan to redouble their efforts against Israel before the International Criminal Court (ICC), warned the leader. The Palestinians have presented to the ICC, since their accession in 2015, several files on crimes committed according to them by Israeli leaders, in particular during the Gaza war in 2014, or those linked to colonization - such as the forced displacement of the po[CENSORED]tion.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has frozen all relations with the Trump administration since the recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital in December 2017.

Money against agreement
The United States gave the Palestinians "huge sums of money," Trump said last week. "I tell them, 'they will have the money, but we will not pay them until we have reached an agreement.' And if we do not, we will not pay them," he added.

The Palestinian representation in Washington had already been threatened in 2017, when the US authorities announced their intention to close it, if the leaders asked for Israeli leaders to be brought before international justice.

The first permanent international tribunal to judge war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide, the ICC has been considering since January 2015 the possibility of initiating investigations into Israeli, but also Palestinian, actions. Contrary to the Palestinians, Israel is not a member of the ICC and is not willing to cooperate.