Palestinian spokesman: White House peace visit ‘a waste of time’

Admin Mon 18 Jun 2018, 8:06 pm

Palestinian spokesman: White House peace visit ‘a waste of time’
https://worldisraelnews.com/palestinian-spokesman-white-house-peace-visit-a-waste-of-time/? June 17, 2018
Palestinian spokesman: White House peace visit ‘a waste of time’Nabil Abu Rudeinah, spokesman for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas (Flash90)
A spokesman for Abbas said Saturday, ahead of a visit by the White House Middle East peace team, that their initiative is “bound to fail.”

By: World Israel News Staff

Nabil Abu Rudeineh, spokesperson for Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas, rejected US efforts to promote an Israeli-Palestinian peace plan, claiming the visit slated for the coming week by the White House Middle East peace team is “a waste of time and bound to fail.”

Channel 10 news reported that Rudeineh blamed the US for attempting to drive a wedge between Hamas, which rules the Gaza Strip, and the PA, which has control over areas of Judea and Samaria.

The Palestinian leadership has boycotted the White House since US President Donald Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital in December and his decision to move the US Embassy there.

Abbas has attacked members of Trump’s Middle East team, including US Ambassador David Friedman.

The US Peace team, including Jared Kushner and Jason Greenblatt, is set to meet high-ranking officials in Jerusalem, Cairo, Amman, Doha and Riyadh, but not Ramallah.

In April, Abbas said the Ramallah-based Palestinian leadership will engage with the Trump administration’s anticipated peace plan only if it backs a two-state solution and recognizes east Jerusalem as capital of the “State of Palestine.”

“We will not listen to anything that comes [from the Trump administration], regardless of what it is, unless the two-state solution [is endorsed] and east Jerusalem as the capital of the State of Palestine is recognized,” he said at a meeting of the Fatah Central Committee.

“If that happens, we can talk about rest of the issues remaining on the table.”