The Biden government has now had more official contacts with Palestinian officials in the first two weeks than the Trump administration has done in the past three years.
Why does it matter: Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Israel-Palestine, Hady Amr, spoke by phone to several Palestinian officials on Monday. These were the first publicly announced interactions between the sides as the Biden government moves to renew the ties that have effectively broken since Donald Trump announced in December 2017 that he was transferring the U.S. Embassy in Israel to Jerusalem.
What they are saying: “We discussed bilateral relations, the latest events and current policies. It was a positive conversation. It was agreed to continue the communication, “tweeted the Palestinian Minister for Civil Affairs, Hussein al-Sheikh, after speaking with Amr.
The big picture: The Biden government is planning to reverse many of Trump’s policies on Israel-Palestine.
- According to Biden government officials, the United States will resume aid to the Palestinians and reopen the Palestine Liberation Organization’s Washington office, as well as the consulate in Jerusalem.
- The Biden government will oppose Israel’s annexation, settlement construction and demolition of Palestinian homes.
Worthless: Amr will be a major player in shaping government policies on Israel-Palestine. He is highly respected by the Palestinian authorities, who see him as a balanced actor.
- The Biden government does not plan to appoint a special envoy for the Israeli-Palestinian peace process, and the matter will be handled mainly by the State Department.
The most recently: Palestinian news site Amad reported on Saturday that Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh and Palestinian Intelligence director Majed Faraj also spoke on the phone with Amr.
- Shtayyeh confirmed that they discussed the US embassy in Jerusalem and the reopening of the PLO office in Washington, along with the renewal of US financial aid to the Palestinian Authority and the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA.