PA chief Abbas rejects phone call from Blinken, seeks to speak to Biden

Officials working on setting up a phone call between U.S. state secretary's, PA PM Shtayyeh due to the Palestinian president's insistence to talk directly to POTUS

i24NEWS|
PrintFind an error? Report us
Related Topics
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas refused to accept a phone call from U.S. State Secretary Antony Blinken in mid-February, about 1.5 months ago, Kan reported on Thursday.
  • Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter

    • Abbas reportedly turned down Blinken's phone call due to him wanting to talk with U.S. President Joe Biden directly - a demand that has yet to be satisfied.
    2 View gallery
    Anthony Blinken testifies before a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing on his nomination to be the next U.S. Secretary of State    Anthony Blinken testifies before a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing on his nomination to be the next U.S. Secretary of State
    U.S. State Secretary Antony Blinken
    (Photo: MCT)
    Kan added that U.S. and Palestinian officials are currently working on setting up a phone call between Blinken and PA Prime Minister Mohammed Shtayyeh.
    Hussein al-Sheikh, a senior member of the PA administration, has also been mentioned as a possible interlocutor for Blinken in Abbas' stead.
    In the run-up to the November 2020 elections in the U.S., the Palestinians placed their bets on Biden after their ties with Washington went sour under former President Donald Trump.
    2 View gallery
    US Vice President Joe Biden (R) and Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas talk during a meeting at the presidential compound in the city of Ramallah, in the West Bank    US Vice President Joe Biden (R) and Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas talk during a meeting at the presidential compound in the city of Ramallah, in the West Bank
    U.S. Vice President Joe Biden (R) and Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas talk during a meeting at the presidential compound in the city of Ramallah, in the West Bank
    (Photo: AFP)
    One reason for the deteriorating relationship between Washington and Ramallah was the Trump administration's Peace to Prosperity plan for resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, which the Palestinian Authority elected to ignore.
    Now, the Biden administration is seeking to rebuild trust with the Palestinians, reportedly allocating some $75 million for economic assistance to the West Bank as well as the Gaza Strip.

    Article republished with permission from i24NEWS
    Comments
    The commenter agrees to the privacy policy of Ynet News and agrees not to submit comments that violate the terms of use, including incitement, libel and expressions that exceed the accepted norms of freedom of speech.
    ""