U.S. Special Representative for International Negotiations Jason Greenblatt slammed the Palestinian leadership on Sunday after a key official criticized the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump and accused it of bias towards Israel.
Hanan Ashrawi, a Palestinian legislator and a senior member of the Palestine Liberation Organization, had tweeted earlier that the United States has “zero credibility” and thus should not be trusted when it comes to various statements on its anticipated peace plan.
“Another commitment @POTUS made was to work to see if we can achieve Israeli/Palestinian peace. We are doing that, but no one—no country, group of countries, or international body—can promise to achieve it. You know that; everyone knows that—even if they won’t say it out loud,” he continued, and warned that the Palestinian Authority’s boycott of the U.S. administration was a “huge disservice” to the Palestinians.
“Peace is worth pursuing & we are committed to trying. You & other leaders can also work hard & see if it can be done. Or you can all continue to prevent the many significant benefits of peace by refusing to engage. The ball is in your court. Time to be credible leaders,” said Greenblatt.
In December 2017, Trump broke with decades of American policy by recognizing Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and several months later moved the U.S. embassy to the city.
Greenblatt and other administration officials said that the U.S. decision did not prejudice the final status of the city as part of a negotiated settlement, as it simply recognized the reality that the city is and will continue to be Israel’s seat of government. The P.A., which was outraged by the move, has boycotted the administration ever since.
Earlier this month, the administration said the plan was all but complete but would not be unveiled for a few months, partly because of the upcoming Knesset election on April 9.