Other senior Palestinian officials take hard line by demanding that President Trump reverse recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas over the weekend appeared to moderate his position vis-à-vis the Trump administration’s prospective peace plan, announcing that he would, contrary to prior statements, review the proposal when it is presented. That is, with one caveat: that the blueprint be based on a two-state formula with east Jerusalem as the capital of Palestine.
“If that happens,” Abbas told a meeting of the Central Committee of his Fatah faction, “we can talk about rest of the issues remaining on the table.”
It may be a classic case of ‘good cop, bad cop,’ as other Palestinian officials seem intent on upholding a boycott on the White House imposed in the wake of President Trump’s recognition in December of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. Senior Palestinian official Nabil Shaath, for example, told The Media Line that the PA is not in the least bit interested in the U.S. administration’s effort to forge a “historic deal,” adding that the Palestinian leadership will not abide by any American-led peace initiative.
“We refuse the years-long U.S. hegemony over the process,” he stressed. “America is completely biased [in favor of Israel] and Palestinians are not looking to develop any relations unless Trump’s decision regarding Jerusalem is reversed.” Shaath went on to set additional pre-conditions for future engagement with Washington, ranging from a commitment to reaching a just solution to the Palestinian refugee issue to designating Israeli communities in the West Bank as illegal.
Omar Abdallah, the head of the United Nations Department at the Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, echoed these sentiments, affirming to The Media Line that the restoration of diplomatic relations with Washington is contingent on canceling the May 15 relocation of the U.S. Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.
“Based on international law, the only solution is to undo the step, recognize Palestine as a state and end the Israeli occupation of east Jerusalem,” he asserted.
For his part, Haj Ibrahim, head of the Political Science Department at Birzeit University in Ramallah, believes that Abbas’ recent comments reflect a growing awareness that he has no other option but to enter into peace talks with Israel and that the U.S. is the only party that can act as a mediator given Russia’s unwillingness to assume a greater role in the process. “Abbas can’t live without negotiations, as this would be like forcing a fish to live without water,” Ibrahim quipped to The Media Line. “Moreover, Abbas isn’t serious about cutting ties with the United States—otherwise he would bring back the Palestinian representative from Washington and cancel the PA’s recognition of Israel.”
Ibrahim further contended that the Palestinians are dreaming if they believe President Trump will actually cave in to their demands, before noting that it is not uncommon for Abbas to say things that are thereafter contradicted by others. “It goes back to the political background of each official, which results in an unclear Palestinian political position.” `
Former Israeli Ambassador to Washington Zalman Shoval agrees that the White House will not be swayed by any Palestinian ultimatum. “Abbas has gone out on a limb, politically and personally and his [status] within the Palestinian community is beginning to be shaky,” he told The Media Line. “Abbas is therefore trying to create a new position, which is standing up to the United States, but he is weak at home and his allies in the Arab World, foremost Sunni countries like Saudi Arabia, are strongly on Washington’s side.”
Shoval also noted that the Palestinian leader’s attempt to circumvent the White House by trying to achieve statehood through the United Nations is bound to fail given that any such effort must go through the Security Council, in which the U.S. maintains veto power.
“Israel will only negotiate directly with the Palestinians,” he concluded, “not through an international body or formula. The conflict must be resolved between Israelis and Palestinians themselves.”
Tensions have been high since President Trump’s Jerusalem declaration, after which the PA called for “days of rage” to protest the decision. Since then, clashes have regularly erupted in the West Bank between Palestinians and Israeli security forces, leaving hundreds injured. The unstable situation has been compounded by the recent deadly confrontations along the border between Israel and the Gaza Strip, which have resulted in the deaths of two dozen people.