Palestinian Authority (PA) cabinet leader Mohammad Shtayyeh said on Tuesday that US President Joe Biden will speak to PA chairman Mahmoud Abbas via telephone "in the near future", i24NEWS reported.
“Numerous contacts were made with the American administration, and many files were discussed, and it was emphasized that the Palestinian issue should be present on the American docket,” Shtayyeh was quoted as having told the Dunya al-Watan news website.
The phone call will happen “in the near future”, he added.
Since taking office, the Biden administration has renewed ties with the PA that have been frozen since 2017.
The PA had been boycotting the US since 2017, when then-President Donald Trump recognized Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and announced that the US embassy will be relocated there.
However, the Biden administration is planning to roll back many of Trump’s policies related to Israel and the PA, including a resumption of aid to the PA and the reopening of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) office in Washington, as well as the consulate in Jerusalem.
Acting US Ambassador to the UN Richard Mills told a Security Council video conference on Tuesday that the Biden administration "intends to restore US assistance programs" to help the Palestinians and "to take steps to reopen the diplomatic missions closed by the last administration."