The United States will not "chase after a Palestinian leadership that lacks what is needed to achieve peace," U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley told the U.N. Security Council on Thursday.
Haley criticized a Jan. 14 speech by Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas at a meeting of the Palestinian Central Council, in which he accused Europeans of sending their Jews to Israel and U.S. President Donald Trump of stabbing the Palestinians in the back with his recognition of Jerusalem as the official capital of Israel.
In his speech, Abbas said he would only accept a broad, internationally backed panel to broker any peace talks with Israel.
"A speech that indulges in outrageous and discredited conspiracy theories is not the speech of a person with the courage and the will to seek peace," Haley said.
The Palestinians are seething at U.S. President Donald Trump's recognition last month of Jerusalem as Israel's capital, a move that was criticized around the world and broke with decades of U.S. policy that the city's status must be decided in negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians.
"The United States remains deeply committed to helping the Israelis and Palestinians reach a historic peace agreement," she said. "But we will not chase after a Palestinian leadership that lacks what is needed to achieve peace. To get historic results, we need courageous leaders."
Palestinian U.N. envoy Riyad Mansour, who addressed the Security Council ahead of Haley, described similar Israeli accusations that Abbas was "not a man of peace" as "appalling."
"They are again attempting to distract the international community and evade responsibility for the political deadlock and deplorable situation on the ground by making such false, shameful claims," he said.
The United States announced this month that it would withhold $65 million of $125 million that it had planned to send to the U.N. Relief and Works Agency, which helps Palestinian refugees. UNRWA is funded almost entirely by voluntary contributions from U.N. states. The U.S. is the largest contributor.
U.N. Middle East envoy Nickolay Mladenov told the Security Council it was vital to maintain support for strengthening Palestinians institutions and services.
He said that "allowing the Palestinian project to backslide at this delicate stage risks further destabilizing an already precarious situation. The recent cuts to UNRWA funding only reinforce these concerns."
Trump threatened on Thursday to withhold aid to the Palestinians if they did not pursue peace with Israel.
"The uncertainty and volatility of the current environment is hardening positions and sharpening the rhetoric on all sides, a situation that plays directly into the hands of extremists and increases the risk of another conflict," Mladenov warned.
