As the United States works to boost defense ties between Israel and Arab states, Palestinians await the first visit of President Joe Biden with little hope after what they see as a string of broken promises by Washington.
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Requests for the reopening of the US consulate in Jerusalem, closed by former President Donald Trump, or lifting the classification of the Palestine Liberation Organization as a terrorist organization have gone unheard, Palestinians say.
"We have no illusions that the visit will achieve a political breakthrough. We will be hearing more pledges and promises," a senior Palestinian official said. "This visit is about normalizing ties between Israel and Arab countries, including Saudi Arabia."
Biden is scheduled to visit Israel and Palestinian territories, meeting with Israeli leaders and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, as well as Saudi Arabia, between July 13-16.
A spokesperson for the US Office of Palestinian Affairs said Washington believed a two-state solution was the best way for both Israel and the Palestinians to resolve their generations-long conflict. He also said it was committed to reopening the consulate.
In a call with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Thursday, Abbas urged the administration to put pressure on Israel for what it sees as violations of the status quo in east Jerusalem and the Al-Aqsa compound and to seize building activities in the West Bank.
"Abbas told Blinken the situation can't continue like this," the official said.
US officials reject the assertion that the Biden administration has broken its pledges to the Palestinians and point to changes after the breakdown of ties under former President Donald Trump.
They say reopening the consulate would require Israeli cooperation and removing the PLO's terrorist designation steps the PA has so far failed to take.
Despite Palestinian disappointment, Washington says Biden has restarted aid and reopened lines of communication. The administration has also criticized Israeli settlement expansion.
"Recall that we walked into a situation in which our ties with the Palestinians were totally severed [by the Trump administration]. So we turned the funding back on, rebuilt relationships … And there will be more to come," a senior Biden administration official said.
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