Washington Closes the Palestinian Mission in the United States

The decision of the United states to close the Palestinian mission in Washington, announced Monday by the number two person in the Palestine Liberation Organization, Saëb Erakat, adds to the flurry of measures taken in the span of a few weeks by the White House: the cancellation of more than $200 million in bilateral aid, the discontinuation of funding for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency, which provides assistance to millions of Palestinian refugees, and the suppression of $25 million distributed to Palestinian hospitals in East Jerusalem.

Unlike previous measures, the Americans have said the official justification for the closure of the Palestinian mission in Washington is not the persistent freeze in relations initiated by President Mahmoud Abbas but rather Palestinian efforts to hold Israeli leaders accountable for “war crimes,” explained Hossam Zomlot, a representative of the PLO in Washington. Palestinians will not “succumb to U.S. threats and bullying” [https://www.timesofisrael.com/palestinians-seethe-over-planned-us-closure-of-washington-office/] and will not bend in their attitude regarding the Trump administration or in their efforts to prosecute the crimes committed against them by Israeli leaders, according to a statement from Saëb Erakat.

The PLO, whose office is set to close, is considered by the international community as the representative of the Palestinian people.