RAMALLAH: The US has notified the Palestinians it’s closing their mission in Washington, a senior official said Monday, the latest in a series of American blows to the Palestinians.
The Trump administration notified the Palestinians last year it will shutter their office in Washington unless they enter serious peace talks with Israel.
“We have been officially informed that the US administration will close our embassy in Washington as a punishment for continuing to work with the International Criminal Court against Israeli war crimes,” Palestinian official Saeb Erekat said.
“This is yet another affirmation of the Trump Administration’s policy to collectively punish the Palestinian people, including by cutting financial support for humanitarian services including health and education,” he said.
The move comes after several financial measures the Trump administration has taken toward the Palestinians.
The US has announced it is ending its decades of funding for the UN agency that helps Palestinian refugees, slashing bilateral US aid for projects in the West Bank and Gaza and cutting funding to hospitals in Jerusalem that serve Palestinians.
A provision in a US law says the PLO mission must close if the Palestinians try to get the International Criminal Court to prosecute Israelis for crimes against Palestinians.
Former Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said in November that the Palestinians crossed that line two months prior.
Although the Israelis and Palestinians are not engaged in active, direct negotiations, Trump’s administration has been working to mediate a peace deal that would end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Led by Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law and a senior aide, White House officials have been preparing a peace proposal they intend to put forward at an unspecified time.
Trump has promised to pursue the “ultimate deal” between the Palestinians and Israel. However, such a deal is unlikely given Palestinian mistrust of his administration.
The Palestinians were angered by Trump’s decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and to move the US Embassy there. They have since rejected the US as peace broker.
The Palestine Liberation Organization is the group that formally represents all Palestinians. Although the US does not recognize Palestinian statehood, the PLO has maintained a “general delegation” office in Washington that facilitates Palestinian officials’ interactions with the US government.
The United States allowed the PLO to open a mission in Washington in 1994, a move that required then-President Bill Clinton to waive a law that said the Palestinians couldn’t have an office. In 2011, under the Obama administration, the United States started letting the Palestinians fly their flag over the office, an upgrade to the status of their mission that the Palestinians hailed as historic.
There was no immediate comment from Israeli government officials.
US tells Palestinians they are shutting PLO office in Washington
US tells Palestinians they are shutting PLO office in Washington
- The United States will close the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) mission
- Senior official Saeb Erekat said: “We continue to call upon the International Criminal Court to open its immediate investigation into Israeli crimes.”
What to know about Gaza’s Rafah border crossing
- The Rafah crossing into Egypt — often called Gaza’s “lifeline” — was the only border access for the territory that does not pass through Israel
CAIRO, Egypt: Pedestrians are set to begin passing through the Rafah border crossing between the Gaza Strip and Egypt on Monday, after it was largely shut for close to two years since Israeli forces seized the Palestinian side.
The reopening, demanded by the United Nations and aid groups, is a key part of the second phase of US President Donald Trump’s truce plan for the Palestinian territory.
AFP looks at what to know about this crucial crossing:
- Vital access point -
COGAT, the Israeli defense ministry body coordinating Palestinian civilian affairs, has said it will only be open for the passage of “residents in both directions.”
AFP images showed ambulances lined up on the Egyptian side of the border, preparing to receive medical evacuees, who are expected to be the first groups allowed out.
The Rafah crossing into Egypt — often called Gaza’s “lifeline” — was the only border access for the territory that does not pass through Israel.
It now lies in an area held by Israeli forces following their withdrawal behind the so-called “Yellow Line” under the terms of the US-brokered ceasefire.
For a long time, the crossing was the main exit point for Palestinians from Gaza who were authorized to leave the narrow strip of land, under Israeli blockade since 2007.
From 2005 to 2007, it was the first Palestinian border terminal controlled by the Palestinian Authority, and later became a symbol of Hamas control over the Gaza Strip after the militant group seized power.
- Under Israeli control -
On May 7, 2024, the Israeli army took control of the Palestinian side, claiming that the crossing was being “used for terrorist purposes.”
Many access points have since been mostly closed, including those used by the United Nations.
Rafah briefly reopened for medical evacuations during a short ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in January of last year.
Israel has said it will “conduct security clearance of individuals” permitted in and out of Gaza, which is meant to be administered by a 15-member Palestinian technocratic body.
The National Committee for the Administration of Gaza is also waiting to enter the territory, after Israel’s approval.
No agreement has yet been reached on the number of Palestinians permitted through, sources said, noting that Egypt plans to admit “all Palestinians whom Israel authorizes to leave.”
Palestinians intending to return to Gaza will be allowed limited luggage, no metal or electronic items and limited amounts of medication, according to the Palestinian embassy in Cairo.
- EU-Palestinian mission -
COGAT said “an initial pilot phase” began Sunday, “in coordination with the European Union Border Assistance Mission (EUBAM), Egypt, and all relevant stakeholders.”
“The actual passage of residents in both directions will begin upon completion” of preliminary preparations, it added.
The Palestinian side of the crossing is expected to be administered by EUBAM and a delegation from the Palestinian Authority.
The EU had set up a civilian mission in 2005 to help monitor the Rafah crossing, but it was suspended two years later after the Islamist militant group Hamas took control of Gaza.
The European mission aims to provide a neutral, third-party presence at the key crossing and involves police from Italy, Spain and France. It was briefly redeployed in January of last year but suspended again in March.
Both the EUBAM and the Palestinian Authority delegation have arrived at the crossing, sources at the border told AFP.
- Aid entry -
Trump’s plan, which underpins the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas, stipulates the reopening of the Rafah crossing and the entry of 600 aid trucks per day.
But Israeli authorities have stalled on the matter and life-saving aid remains inadequate, according to aid groups.
International aid is generally routed from Egypt, through the Rafah checkpoint, before trucks are directed to the nearby Israeli crossing of Kerem Shalom — which currently processes three-quarters of aid entering Gaza.
Drivers disembark their vehicles, which go through strict Israeli inspection before being unloaded and reloaded onto other vehicles authorized to enter Gaza.
Two aid sources on the Egyptian side told AFP on Thursday that Israel has continued to obstruct aid delivery, returning “dozens” of trucks without unloading them.
Other access points have operated in the past, but Israeli authorities have not communicated on whether they will reopen.
