During meeting set for next month policies related to President Trump, Israel and Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip will be formulated
The Central Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO)—the umbrella organization recognized by the international community as the official voice of the Palestinian people—convened last week in Ramallah to chart a path forward. The meeting was presided over by Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, who was released from hospital after receiving treatment for a lung infection.
A senior source in the Palestinian Authority confirmed to The Media Line that the Central Committee decided to schedule another official meeting after Eid Al Fitr, the Islamic holiday that ends the holy month of Ramadan.
The Central Committee of the PLO implements decisions made by the Palestinian National Council, which convened last month. Topping the agenda during that session was forging reconciliation between Abbas’ Fatah factions and Hamas; formulating a stance on peace talks with Israel; and devising a response to the recent violence in the Gaza Strip.
Abbas has condemned Israel’s handling of the months-long “March of Return” protests along the Gaza border, as well as last week’s Israeli military strikes against targets in the enclave. “Our people in Jerusalem, the Gaza Strip and the West Bank saw some difficult days because of the Israeli occupation,” he asserted, adding that Israel had “launched an attack on the Strip.”
The PA president also touched upon internal developments within the PA. “We have completed the institutions of the PLO, which is important. We do not want to retain a culture of the individual; we want a culture of institutions,” he said. “If we trust our institutions, we will be able to continue our work.”
Abbas Zaki, a member of the PLO Central Committee, revealed to The Media Line that the meeting also focused on the PA president’s decision to boycott Trump administration officials and to not meet with any U.S. politicians.
Recently, it was revealed that Abbas in March refused to meet with a delegation of Democratic politicians led by U.S. House of Representatives Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi to protest what the Palestinians consider President Trump’s favorable treatment of Israel. The PLO Central Committee has stated that the American role in supporting the “Israeli occupation” violates the rights of the Palestinian people. The Committee praised the move of Arab and international countries to reject the relocation of the U.S. Embassy to “occupied” Jerusalem.
To that end, the Central Committee members discussed Israeli policies allowing “settlers to break into Al-Aqsa Mosque on a daily basis,” as well as Israel’s “aggression” against Palestinian cities, villages and refugee camps in the West Bank and Gaza. They called on the international community to “curb the settlement campaign.”
Hanna Issa, a Palestinian political analyst, told The Media Line that convening the Central Committee was meant to allay fears among Palestinians that Abbas is in poor health. It also sought to demonstrate that if his condition worsens, Palestinian institutions will be able to continue functioning properly.
“In the meeting, they surely discussed ways to break the ice with the American administration and the future of economic relations with Israel,” Issa added. “They [PA officials] need to decide on the national elections and whether they will include Gaza or not. Also, what about the Palestinian parliament? Is it on hold or what? And what about Gaza and the crisis there?”
For its part, Hamas reiterated a call for the “immediate” implementation of previous agreements signed with its rival Fatah, which stipulates that a national reconciliation government be formed in order to exercise full control over the affairs of the Palestinian people.