US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan has reassured the Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas that the Biden administration’s committed to the two-state solution, underscoring the importance of moving forward to achieve peace and stability in the region by joint action of all parties.
Sullivan has met Abbas in Ramallah on Wednesday in a third official meeting of its kind between the PA president and senior Biden administration officials in the past 10 days.
Abbas previously met with Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland in Ramallah on December 13, and he also had a meeting on Tuesday with the Acting Assistant Secretary of the State Department’s Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs Yael Lempert.
Wednesday’s meeting was described as positive and constructive by a PA official who provided no further details, noting only that the Palestinian Authority is continuing to work to strengthen its ties with the US administration.
According to the post-meeting official statement, Abbas briefed Sullivan on the latest developments in the Palestinian territories and the need for Israel to stop settlement activities on the land of the State of Palestine and assaults and terrorism of settlers.
The Palestinian Authority President stressed how important it is to respect the status quo at the Temple Mount (the al-Aqsa Mosque compound) and to prevent Palestinian residents’ expulsion from the Jerusalem neighborhoods as well as the deduction of tax revenues Israel collects on behalf of the Palestinians.
He also underscored that Israel’s unilateral moves undermine the two-state solution, noting that a real political process in accordance with international legitimacy resolutions is only possible if the agreements signed between the Palestinians and Israel are implemented.
Be the first to comment