Palestinian Authority President Mahmud Abbas meets with US Presidential Special Envoy Barbara Leaf in Ramallah on June 11, 2022. Photo courtesy Palestinian Authority press office – PPO/AFP
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas was visited on Saturday by a US diplomatic delegation, led by Under-Secretary of State for Near East Affairs Barbara Leaf, ahead of a possible visit by President Joe Biden.
During the meeting, Abbas reiterated his call for the removal of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) from the US list of terrorist groups, the presidency said in a statement.
The Palestinian president also called for the reopening of the PLO office in Washington and the US consulate in East Jerusalem, which were closed during the Trump administration.
Leaf, who began a three-day visit to the Palestinian territories and Israel on Saturday, met with Abbas to “discuss US-Palestinian relations, assistance to Palestinians, to deepen ties and how both Palestinians and Israelis equally deserve measures of liberty, security and prosperity,” the US State Department said.
Biden pledged to reopen the consulate after Donald Trump recognized Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, which angered Palestinians, who see the east of the city as their future capital.
Israel, however, is opposed and considers that the consulate should be installed in Ramallah, the seat of the Palestinian Authority in the occupied West Bank.
These moves come just before a possible visit by Biden to the region. The American president said he is considering traveling to Saudi Arabia, Israel and the Palestinian territories in July.
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