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Karen DeYoung
Associate Editor and Senior Correspondent for National Security
The Trump administration on Monday ordered the closure of the Palestine Liberation Organization's Washington office, saying the PLO "has not taken steps to advance direct and meaningful negotiations with Israel."
The closure was announced by the State Department shortly before White House security advisor John Bolton, in his first major speech, threatened to punish individuals and countries cooperating with the International Criminal Court, where the Palestinians have lodged a complaint against Israel.
"The United States supports a direct and robust peace process," said Bolton, "and we will not allow the ICC, or any other organization, to limit Israel's right to self-defense."
The PLO is recognized by most countries as the "legitimate representative" of Palestinians. His office in Washington – even though he's not recognized as an embassy, since there is no recognition of a Palestinian state – is one of them. rare Palestinian vehicles of communication with the levers of the American power. He has survived repeated political and legislative calls to stop it, through decades of unsuccessful efforts by the United States to forge a peace deal between Palestinians and Israelis.
But Monday's order to close it within 30 days comes as the Trump administration systematically emphasizes the fundamental principles of Palestinian aspirations for any negotiations and mounting financial pressures on the Palestinian Authority that governs the West Bank.
At the end of last year, President Trump declared that the disputed city of Jerusalem was the Israeli capital. This year, the State Department has canceled most of the US aid funds destined for the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Late last month, the government called for a redefinition of Palestinian refugee status and declared that the United States – the largest single donor – would no longer fund the United Nations refugee program. . Israel rejects any "right of return" and considers demand as a major obstacle to peace.
Last week, the administration said it would withdraw $ 25 million in support for six hospitals in East Jerusalem, mostly used by Palestinians. Largely run by churches, they traditionally serve as primary caregivers for people whose treatment is not available in the West Bank and Gaza.
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The Palestinians say that these measures are designed to lay the groundwork for a US peace proposal that has not yet been revealed and that it already charges for Israel. Since the announcement of Jerusalem, they have refused to meet US negotiators, led by White House senior assistant and Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner.
In his statement justifying the closure of the PLO, the State Department said that far from cooperating, "the PLO has condemned an American peace plan that they have not not seen yet and refused to negotiate with the US government. has often stated "progress" in the secret compilation of what Kushner and others have said is a "global" plan, the publication of which has been delayed several times.
Palestinian chief negotiator Saeb Erekat described this measure as a continuation of a policy of "collective punishment" by the administration. "These people have decided to put themselves on the wrong side of history by protecting war criminals and destroying the two-state solution," he said.
The United States, he said, is not part of the peace process and does not even have the right to sit in the room during the negotiations. Erekat dismissed US officials such as David Friedman, the ambassador to Israel, as a "group of settlers" pursuing a right-wing Israeli agenda.
Many Palestinian officials have said that the United States can no longer be an "honest broker" for peace. Hanan Ashrawi, an executive committee member of the PLO, described Monday's action as a form of "brutal and vicious blackmail" and "clear evidence of US collusion with the Israeli occupation."
The White House has been "very open throughout the process and we want to see peace, we want to have these conversations, we want to help negotiate this agreement," said Sarah Huckabee Sanders, Press Secretary. "Certainly, we have a lot of support with our friend and ally in Israel. But again, we are as committed today as we have never been to the peace process. "
The announcement is expected to be widely welcomed by the Israeli government, which was on holiday Monday to mark Rosh Hashanah.
The administration initially called for the closure of the office in November, after Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas called on the International Criminal Court to investigate and prosecute Israel for alleged war crimes. He then backed off, advising Palestinian leaders to limit the PLO's activities in the United States to efforts to bring peace with Israel.
Congress voted to ban any representation of the PLO under the Reagan administration, while it was considered a terrorist organization. President Ronald Reagan rejected the mandate, saying he was violating the executive branch's right to do foreign policy.
The office officially opened after the signing of the Oslo Accords nearly 25 years ago, when the PLO and Israel mutually recognized each other and launched a peace process. Since then, Congress has repeatedly recommended its closure, and it is unlikely that legislators will oppose the new measure.
Bolton's reference to the PLO came after a speech to the Federalist Society, largely devoted to the International Criminal Court, a body he has long criticized. His efforts, as a senior State Department official during George W. Bush's administration, consisted in "de-signing" US participation in 2002, when the treaty entered into force, and negotiate bilateral agreements with more than 100 countries. against the United States, "remains one of my greatest achievements," he said.
An autonomous tribunal to which more than 120 nations belong, it allows international prosecution for war crimes, crimes against humanity and what Bolton describes as a vaguely defined charge of aggression. Although it positions itself as a "last resort" court For countries with non-functional justice systems, many have argued that its very existence is a violation of national sovereignty. Nearly all of his indictments have so far been directed against Africans, which has led some African nations to impose a new form of colonialism.
In his speech, his first official speech since joining the administration in April, Mr. Bolton described the court as "fundamentally illegitimate" and "aggrieving the constitutional rights of the American people and sovereignty the United States".
"Last fall," he said, "our worst predictions about ICC proxies have been confirmed" when the ICC prosecutor sought leave to investigate war crimes committed by the military. "
"Neither Afghanistan nor any other State Party" to the treaty had requested the investigation, he added. "Literally any day now, the ICC may announce the start of an official investigation against these American patriots". He noted that many had signed to protect the nation "as a result of the September 11 attacks" whose birthday falls on Tuesday.
A senior administration official, on condition of anonymity before Bolton's speech, said his remarks were closely related to the concerns of the Pentagon and intelligence agencies about the potential responsibility of the United States to prosecutions in Afghanistan. While the gathering of what Bolton called "stolen bureaucrats and judges" does not have the power to act in this country, Americans could be arrested in countries that recognize its jurisdiction.
"If the court comes after us, Israel or other American allies," said Bolton, "we will not sit quietly."
Retaliation measures, he said, would include banning US judges and prosecutors from the ICC, imposing sanctions on their funds in the US financial system and prosecuting them before the US. American courts. "We will do the same for any company or state that helps an ICC investigation of Americans," he said.
Bolton also said that the administration would strengthen existing agreements with other countries to protect US personnel from international prosecution.
With regard to the countries that "cooperate with the ICC's investigations of the United States and its allies," he said, "we will remember this cooperation in foreign assistance, assistance military and intelligence sharing ".
Morris brought back from Jerusalem. Missy Ryan, Anne Gearan and Julie Tate in Washington contributed to this report.
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