The Palestinian Authority is officially boycotting the U.S.-initiated "Peace and Prosperity" summit, scheduled to take place in Bahrain in June, senior PA negotiator Saeb Erekat announced on Thursday.
The PA issued a strongly-worded statement declaring that "the Palestinian issue and national rights are not up for sale, and economic initiatives and imaginary promises to the world will not cover the evil face of the 'deal of the century,' which is intended to eradicate the Palestinian issue."
Hamas has also rejected the Bahrain event.
The Palestinians' refusal to take part in the conference came as no surprise. On Wednesday, United States Special Representative for International Negotiations Jason Greenblatt told the U.N. Security Council that the PA was making a mistake by opting to stay away.
"It would be a mistake for the Palestinians not to join us. They have nothing to lose and much to gain," Greenblatt said, adding that taking part in the conference would be the first step toward a political solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict that would "transform the lives of the Palestinians."
U.S. President Donald Trump's envoy pointed out the "irony" of the United National Relief and Works Association (UNRWA) scheduling a "pledging conference for a broken system" to take place during the Bahrain summit. Greenblatt accused the Palestinian refugee organization of squandering the significant funds donated by many countries, predominantly the U.S.
"Since the establishment of UNRWA, the United States has contributed about $6 billion, but there has been no progress in the quality of life of the Palestinians. UNRWA has abandoned the Palestinians, and they deserve much more," Greenblatt said.
Part of this article was originally published by i24NEWS. Read more at https://www.i24news.tv/en.
