Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas condemned American ‘silence’ on Tuesday and insisted that the US administration “must turn its talk into action,” the official Palestinian news agency WAFA reported.
Abbas made his comments during a phone call with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken as frustration boils over in Ramallah about the Biden administration’s failure to fulfill its pledge to roll back measures taken by former President Donald Trump.
President Abbas receives phone call from #US Secretary of State Anthony Blinkenhttps://t.co/lUstVNl2eF#Jerusalem #المسجد_الأقصى #FreePalestine pic.twitter.com/4Nm8xdXkxZ
— Wafa News Agency – English (@WAFANewsEnglish) June 1, 2022
“The administration must turn its talk into action, rather than making do with this policy of condemnation, denunciation and silence regarding these unilateral Israeli measures,” Abbas told Blinken. He repeated the PA’s demands to see the US Consulate in Jerusalem reopened, as well as for the US to provide greater legitimacy to the Palestine Liberation Organisation.
“The PLO must be removed from the American ‘terrorist’ list, and the PLO office in Washington must be reopened, given that [the US] is a full, responsible partner in the peace process,” Wafa reported Abbas as telling Blinken.
Abbas presses Blinken over Israeli "provocations" in "tough" call https://t.co/Q4aGCQqten
— Axios (@axios) June 1, 2022
“The Secretary spoke with [President] Abbas regarding the importance of Israelis and Palestinians working to maintain calm and de-escalate tensions,” said the US Department of State on its website.
“He emphasized the importance of the US-Palestinian relationship and the administration’s support for a negotiated two-state solution.”
Blinken also apparently “underscored the importance of concluding the investigations into the death of Shireen Abu Akleh.” The Palestinian journalist was shot and killed by an Israeli sniper on May 11 while covering Israel’s military incursion at Jenin refugee camp.
(MEMO, PC, Social Media)
