Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas hosted a US delegation led by Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs Barbara Leaf on Saturday, telling her, "Our goal is to get rid of the occupation on the basis of the resolutions of international legitimacy. East Jerusalem is and will remain forever the capital of the State of Palestine."
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Her three-day visit comes amid a degree of uncertainty surrounding US President Joe Biden's first trip to the region in July.
Leaf met with Abbas "to discuss the US-Palestinian relationship, US assistance to Palestinians, deepening ties, and how Palestinians and Israelis alike deserve equal measures of freedom, security, and prosperity," the US State Department said in a statement.
In the meeting, Abbas reiterated to Leaf his request to remove the Palestine Liberation Organization from the US list of terrorist entities, his office said.
The PA president also requested that the PLO's office in Washington and the American consulate for east Jerusalem be reopened, after both were closed under the Trump administration. Abbas additionally raised "Israeli escalations" against Islamic and Christian holy sites, the expulsion of Palestinians in east Jerusalem, settlement approvals, and settler violence, his office said.
A career diplomat, Leaf served as the US ambassador to the United Arab Emirates from 2014-2018. In addition, she has had postings in Jerusalem, Cairo, Tunis, Rome, and Paris.
Leaf will be at the head of a delegation also including Deputy Assistant Secretary for Israeli and Palestinian Affairs Hady Amr and NSC Director for Israel and Palestinian Affairs Cynthia Cook.
The American officials will "consult with Israeli and Palestinian partners on a range of priorities, including deepening bilateral US cooperation with both Israel and the Palestinian Authority, Israeli-Palestinian relations, and US support for a two-state solution, deterring Iran's aggressive regional activities, and support for Israel's integration into the broader Middle East region," the State Department added.
However, this may be deemed insufficient by Abbas, who has long lost support from large sectors of the Palestinian public.
"The president [told Leaf] that the current situation is unsustainable and cannot be tolerated [given] the absence of a political horizon," the PA's official news site, Wafa, said.
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