Palestinians’ envoy to US faces silence
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has written off President Donald Trump, cursing him and declaring him an illegitimate broker for peace. Trump has reacted angrily, threatening to cut off all U.S. aid and dismissing Palestinian claims that he blew up any semblance of impartiality by declaring Jerusalem to be Israel’s capital.
The Americans and the Palestinians can’t even agree on the basic facts of the dispute, much less the path forward for talks and an eventual peace agreement with Israel. So what’s a diplomat to do?
“It’s not like I am not speaking to them. My phone is open,” Husam Zomlot, the Palestinian ambassador, said in an hourlong interview in his office, flanked by the Palestinian flag and portraits of Abbas and former leader Yasser Arafat.
No one has called, he said. Not since Dec. 6 — the day Trump’s Jerusalem declaration triggered an unraveling of trust, diplomacy and optimism about the long-awaited peace plan being crafted by his son-in-law, Jared Kushner.
Nor has there been any substantial contact between the Palestinians and the Americans at the United Nations, according to officials from both sides. Even Tuesday, when Kushner and fellow White House envoy Jason Greenblatt traveled to New York to hear Abbas address the U.N. Security Council, no face-to-face interaction between the sides occurred.
By the time U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Nikki Haley gave her response, Abbas had left the room. No matter — Haley addressed him directly.
Abbas, at the Security Council, insisted that if the United States is to be involved in future talks, its role must be limited, alongside other participating governments.
The White House is charging ahead anyway, assuming the Palestinians will relent and consider Kushner’s plan.
