The closure of the Palestinian mission in Washington is just the latest in a series of moves by a U.S. administration that does not differentiate between the Palestinians' diplomatic warfare against Israel and the various terrorist methods it employs.
The Palestinians have attempted to enlist the International Criminal Court in their efforts against Israel. Under President Donald Trump, the Americans announced they would "use any means necessary" against the ICC should it decide to begin proceedings against Israeli officials.
As the U.S. administration sees it, the Palestinians, along with the Iranians, are corrupting global democracy.
Under Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinians serve Iranian interests. Abbas and the PA are the ones fanning the flames in the Gaza Strip and they are responsible for the deteriorating situation there. Hamas, meanwhile, supplies the goods in return for Iranian funds. The Palestinians also sent a senior delegation to attend North Korea's 70th-anniversary celebrations. This is the political and ideological environment of the PA.
The Trump administration is breaking norms. Instead of courting the Palestinians in the hope that they will enter negotiations, the White House is punishing them and acting to bring about their defeat. In Israel, many recoil from this strategy. We are the ones who live with the Palestinians and what their defeat will mean for us remains unclear. The last time the Palestine Liberation Organizations looked like it was about to wiped off the map, the organization had its pieces pulled back together and the Oslo Accords were signed.
Another point that cannot be ignored: Abbas invited this retribution from the United States. He spoke rudely about President Donald Trump, made anti-Semitic remarks about U.S. Ambassador to Israel David Friedman, and made anti-Semitic remarks about the Holocaust. Abbas is not "anonymous"; he stuck his head out of the trench and he got hit.
