Washington _ Palestine News Network
"The punitive steps taken by Washington toward the Palestinians will not prejudge the chances of a political settlement to end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict," said senior advisor to the US president and his brother-in-law Jared Kouchner.
"The US administration is doing what is most appropriate without fear or bulk, which enhances the chances of achieving real peace," Kouchner quoted the US newspaper "The New York Times" as saying.
Kouchner said the decision to curtail assistance to the Palestinian Authority was taken against the backdrop of defamation and libel by the latter leaders against the administration of Donald Trump, explaining that the sanctions would not be eliminated with the consent of the Palestinians to reach a settlement agreement.
Most of his country´s assistance to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) and other Palestinian organizations has been "wasted," he said.
The chief adviser to the Terpe expressed confidence that the rift between Washington and Ramallah could be bridged, while at the same time blaming the Palestinian side for this shift in the relationship between the two sides.
The Palestinians accuse the Tarb administration of siding with the Israeli side and do not see it as an honest mediator in the peace process.
The Palestinian Authority has frozen its contacts with the US administration since December 6, 2016, after the announcement of its recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of the Israeli occupation and the transfer of its embassy to the country.
He also suspended aid to UNRWA, and the US State Department closed the PLO office in Washington.
The Palestinians see these steps as "an attempt to impose facts on the ground, aimed at removing the refugee and Jerusalem dossier from the negotiating table."
