The Biden administration continues to strengthen its relations with the PA despite its intense involvement in the Russian military invasion of Ukraine and its aftermath.
This week, Hadi Amro arrived in Ramallah with the help of the US Secretary of State and the State Department’s Palestinian Commissioner.
He met with Palestinian Prime Minister Muhammad a-Shtiya and Hussein a-Sheikh, a member of the PLO Executive Committee and a possible successor to Mahmoud Abbas, and discussed with them bilateral relations, economic issues and the effects of the war in Ukraine on the world and Middle East.
Hussein al-Sheikh said after the meeting that he had made it clear to Hadi Amro that “the time has come for the Israeli occupation to leave the Palestinian territories” and that “dual morality must be stopped and UN resolutions concerning the Palestinians implemented.”
Palestinian Prime Minister Muhammad a-Shtiyah reiterated his remarks and accepted the “terrorism of the settlers” and also condemned Israel’s actions on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem and in the Cave of the Patriarchs in Hebron.
The Biden administration is concerned about the possibility of escalation in Jerusalem and the territories ahead of Ramadan and the first anniversary of Operation Wall Guard. GSS chief Ronen Bar visited Washington a few days ago and made gloomy predictions to senior government officials about the possibility of escalation in the territories in the coming weeks.
The PA leadership is outraged by the recent incidents in which two young Palestinians were killed by IDF gunfire in the Nablus area and in the Balata refugee camp, as well as the death of a Rahat resident in an encounter with Border Police undercover operatives.
Nabil Abu Rudeina, a spokesman for PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas, issued a scathing statement warning of an imminent explosion and sharply criticizing the Biden administration.
He noted that talks between the United States and the Palestinians were still ongoing, but that the US administration had not yet fulfilled any of the promises made by US President Joe Biden to PA Chairman Abu Mazen, especially regarding the US Consulate in East Jerusalem. Maintaining the existing status quo in the city, or unilateral Israeli measures, such as offsetting the tax money that Israel collects for the PA.
He called on the US administration to “review its policy toward ongoing Israeli action against the Palestinians.”
Senior PA officials said U.S. envoy Eddie Amro made it clear to PA officials that the Biden administration was very busy with war in Ukraine and could not currently keep its promises to the PA chairman about opening PLO offices in Washington and the US Consulate in East Jerusalem.
Palestinian frustration
The Palestinian frustration is great, the relocation of the US Consulate to East Jerusalem should symbolize, for the PA, the recognition of the Biden administration in East Jerusalem as the capital of the future Palestinian state and empty the recognition of the Trump administration in the united Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.
To this must be added the Palestinian anger over the EU, the transfer of financial aid to the Palestinians amounting to 214 million euros is again delayed because of Hungary’s position that conditional the transfer of money to the PA in changing curricula in the Palestinian education system that she says encourage terrorism.
PA officials are staring blankly at the thousands of Ukrainian refugees arriving in Israel and fear a large influx of Jews from Ukraine and Russia into Israel in the coming weeks as the war in Ukraine continues.
These days mark the 20th anniversary of the second intifada in the territories. The mood on the Palestinian street is that nothing has changed and that the situation on the ground has only worsened, the settlements in the West Bank continue and the allegations of human rights violations by Israel, the international community are silent and double standard towards the Palestinians.
In the Gaza Strip there is a hoarding of foodstuffs and in Hebron protests have begun over the rise in basic food prices, fuel and taxes of the PA.
The economic situation in the territories may deteriorate following the uprising in Ukraine and this further aggravates the Palestinians’ feelings that they have reached an economic and political deadlock.