RAMALLAH, Palestinian Territories: Palestinian president Mahmud Abbaswithdrew his top representative to the United States Tuesday, the foreignministry announced, a day after the US moved its Israeli embassy toJerusalem.
Husam Zomlot, the head of the Palestine Liberation Organization’s office inWashington, would return to the Palestinian territories Wednesday, thestatement said.
It did not say how long Zomlot, the most senior Palestinian official inWashington, would be withdrawn for.
The Palestinians reacted furiously to President Donald Trump’s Decemberannouncement recognising Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and moving hiscountry’s embassy there from Tel Aviv.
They consider the eastern part of Jerusalem their capital and countrieshave long kept their embassies in Tel Aviv, saying the future of the holycity was an issue to be negotiated between the Israelis and Palestinians.
The date of Monday’s embassy opening also angered Palestinians, coming theday before they commemorate their mass displacement in the 1948 warsurrounding the creation of Israel.
The Israeli government welcomed the embassy move, which coincided with theanniversary of the country’s independence.
The event was overshadowed by mass protests along the Gaza border in whichIsraeli fire killed 60 Palestinians.
The foreign ministry statement did not refer to the deaths, only theembassy move.
tags: Palestine