PLO Secretary General Saeb Erekat
PLO Secretary General Saeb ErekatReuters

The Palestine Liberation Organization’s (PLO) Executive Committee on Sunday called on the world to boycott the upcoming US-led economic workshop that will be held in Manama, the capital of Bahrain.

"The PLO affirms its final opposition to the conference and it hasn't authorized any party to negotiate on behalf of the Palestinian people," the Executive Committee said in a press statement following a meeting held in Ramallah, according to the Xinhua news agency.

"The goal pursued by the US for the workshop is to start implementing the Deal of the Century and link it to economy after it takes steps in implementing the political parts of the deal," said the statement.

The PLO stressed that the political steps of the "Deal of the Century" would "enforce the Israeli occupation and erase the national and legal rights of the Palestinian people."

The Executive Committee stressed its rejection to the US plans, adding that "the PLO is sticking to the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people."

It called for an international conference under the umbrella of the United Nations with the participation of the permanent state members of the UN Security Council, the European Union and Arab states.

The “Peace to Prosperity” economic workshop, to be held on June 25 and 26 in Bahrain, was announced last week by senior White House officials, who said that the Trump administration is planning to release the economic component of its upcoming Middle East peace plan during that workshop.

The Palestinian Authority (PA) immediately announced that it would boycott the economic conference, with its “information minister” Nabil Abu Rudeineh saying that the conference would be a meaningless meeting that was part of a meaningless plan.

Saeb Erekat, secretary general of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), last week reiterated that PA officials will not be attending the Bahrain conference, saying, “Palestine’s full economic potential can only be achieved by ending the Israeli occupation, respecting international law and UN resolutions.”

The PA has boycotted the US administration since President Donald Trump broke with decades of consensus and recognized Jerusalem as Israel's capital in December of 2017.

It has also rejected the US peace plan before it has even been unveiled, claiming it is biased in Israel’s favor.