PA to boycott Washington conference on Gaza

he Palestinian Authority (PA) plans to boycott a conference next week at the White House which will discuss the humanitarian situation in Hamas-controlled Gaza.

کد خبر: ۷۸۱۶۲۳

تاریخ: ۲۰ اسفند ۱۳۹۶ - ۰۹:۰۳

The decision came following a direct order by PA chairman Mahmoud Abbas, in the wake of the ongoing tensions between the PA and the Trump administration following the American recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.

The conference will be led by U.S. special envoy to the Middle East Jason Greenblatt, who has been working in recent months to promote economic projects between Israel and the PA.

Greenblatt approached the Palestinian Arabs and asked them to participate in the conference and they responded that since the Americans are aware that the real problem of Gaza is the conduct of Israel, the PA does not intend to take part in the conference.

Abbas has sought an alternative to direct talks with Israel and has refused to consider the Trump administration an honest broker for negotiations since Trump’s December declaration recognizing Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.

The PA chairman recently addressed the UN Security Council and called on the international community to hold a Middle East peace conference as an alternative to a U.S.-led talks between Israel and the PA.