By Abbas Al Lawati, Bloomberg—
The Palestinian Authority vowed to reconsider its cooperation with Israel as it again accused the U.S. of taking sides in the stalled Middle East peace process.
Senior Palestinian official Saeb Erekat told reporters in Ramallah that the full range of political, economic and security ties would be reassessed in the wake of the Trump administration’s decision on Monday to shut the Palestinian mission in Washington.
President Donald Trump’s National Security Adviser John Bolton said the move was triggered by the Palestinian leadership’s refusal to participate in talks with Israel. But Erekat denounced it as an act of blackmail, saying the U.S. could no longer be a mediator in the conflict.
The closure of the office was the latest step in a U.S. pressure campaign on Palestinian officials as Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, is expected to release a peace plan in the coming weeks.
The move was, not surprisingly, praised in Israel. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the U.S. took “the correct decision” in closing the mission. Continue Reading…