Is the Trump administration's pressure on the Palestinian Authority beginning to show results? Israel Hayom learned on Monday that the Palestinians are "setting a new course" to "the opportunity of the century" that was presented by the American government.
A senior official in Ramallah revealed that the PA and Washington have been exchanging messages to smooth things over and end the boycott that PA President Mahmoud Abbas has imposed on US President Donald Trump and his representatives – senior adviser and son-in-law Jared Kushner, and special envoy to the Middle East Jason Greenblatt.
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According to the PA official, a senior PA delegation led by the head of the PA General Intelligence Service, Majed Faraj is expected to fly to Washington in the near future to hold talks with White House officials. Representatives for Abbas and Trump have recently engaged in secret talks to hash out the details of the meeting.
"These discussions are strictly feelers, although both sides have shown a positive approach and made progress toward possibly renewing relations," the PA official told Israel Hayom.
What caused the PA to change course? One reason was its dissatisfaction over Arab countries that attended the US-sponsored economic summit in Bahrain, despite pleas from Abbas to boycott it. According to the senior PA official, Ramallah viewed their participation as "a betrayal of the Palestinian cause." Considering that one of the goals of the summit was to pressure Abbas to cease his boycott, it appears the endeavor was successful.
Another reason is that Ramallah expects the diplomatic aspect of the American peace plan to be unveiled following the upcoming snap election in Israel (set for Sept. 17), and the Palestinians want to have stabilized their relationship with Trump and his envoys by then.
A Palestinian news report on Monday quoted US Special Representative for International Negotiations Jason Greenblatt as saying that Trump could introduce the political portion of his peace plan before the Israeli election. Either way, the PA's poor economic situation is also a key in Ramallah's interest in renewing financial aid; not to mention the PA's assessment that Trump is likely to win re-election in 2020.
Greenblatt's extensive interview with Palestinian newspaper Al-Ayyam – not an inconsequential event considering the PA's belief that the American administration is completely biased toward Israel – can be seen as further proof that Washington-Ramallah relations are thawing.
"Greenblatt and [US Ambassador to Israel David] Friedman are personae non gratae in the Palestinian Authority and the interview with Greenblatt is intended to soften the Palestinian public's position before returning to the path of discourse and accepting the Trump administration as a mediator between it and Israel," the PA official told Israel Hayom.
In the interview with Al-Ayyam, Greenblatt said: "President Trump hasn't made a decision yet on when to publish the full peace plan. He is weighing the options in accordance with the Israeli election and the decision will be made shortly."
Trump and his administration are aware of the obstacles that stand in the way of the deal of the century, Greenblatt added, but are determined to move forward with a regional peace plan.
"We weren't surprised by the difficulties the peace plan entails and that there are those who don't accept it. Anyone who doesn't understand that, doesn't understand the essence of the conflict. With that, all sides need to understand that it's not possible to present a perfect plan. We need to sit together and discuss the issues and obstacles, in negotiations, so that we can reach an agreement," he said.
"If we don't reach a point where everyone is sitting in one room and talking, as was the case when the Palestinians boycotted the Bahrain conference, nothing will happen and it won't be the first time a peace process has failed," Greenblatt stressed. "The thought that Washington, Europe or the United Nations has some sort of magic formula to resolve the conflict is incorrect, and therefore, we must all sit down in the same room and talk."
Greenblatt didn't spare criticism from the PA leadership during the interview, telling the Ramallah-based newspaper that "the Palestinians leadership needs to internalize that the [Bahrain] summit's success proves there are those who believe in peace and in the Palestinian people's ability to create a good and flourishing economy with the help of numerous investors. This is an opportunity the Palestinian leadership can't afford to miss."
With that, Greenblatt insisted that the Trump administration has no intention of "forcing its positions on Ramallah or buying the Palestinians with money. If there is a peace deal, the Palestinians will have a dream economy, because we believe that without a serious economic plan that includes investments and initiatives, a successful peace plan isn't feasible."
