Palestine's refusal to participate in the US-sponsored peace conference in Bahrain is the collective position of all Palestinians, from their leader Mahmoud Abbas to the business community and civil society, the secretary general of the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO), Saeb Erekat, said
GAZA (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 23rd May, 2019) Palestine's refusal to participate in the US-sponsored peace conference in Bahrain is the collective position of all Palestinians, from their leader Mahmoud Abbas to the business community and civil society, the secretary general of the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO), Saeb Erekat, said.
The forum in Bahrain was conceived as a part of US President Donald Trump's "deal of the century" for Israel and Palestine. Trump said Sunday that his long-awaited solution to the middle Eastern conflict would focus on economic incentives. A "workshop" will be held in Bahrain, presumably from June 25-26, to secure financial commitments from wealthy regional donors.
"This is an official announcement that Palestine will not attend the Manama meeting. This is a collective Palestinian position, from President Mahmoud Abbas and the PLO Executive Committee to all Palestinian political movements and factions, national figures, private sector and civil society," Erekat said in a statement.
The official added that Palestine "had not mandated anyone to negotiate" on its behalf and reiterated that Palestine's economic potential could be achieved solely "by ending the Israeli occupation, respecting international law and UN resolutions."
The PLO is the official representative of the Palestinian people in the international arena that supervises the peace process with Israel. The organization's ranks unite all the major Palestinian factions, with the exception of the Islamists, who also condemn the "deal of the century."
Palestine rejected Washington's unilateral mediation efforts in the peace process with Israel after the United States relocated its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem in May 2018. Erekat, a long-time head of the Palestinian delegation at peace talks with Israel, has repeatedly challenged the US neutrality in the dispute and spoken in favor of a multilateral mediation format instead.
