The Palestinian Authority (PA) intelligence chief, Majed Faraj, has met with U.S. security officials in the first meetings between the PA and the Trump administration, an official told The Associated Press (AP) on Thursday.
The official told the news agency that Faraj met with U.S. security and intelligence officials in Washington over the past two days. The official spoke on condition of anonymity.
In recent weeks, the PA has been vocal in its criticism of the Trump administration, particularly over two issues: Trump’s pledge to move the American embassy in Israel to Jerusalem, and his apparent silence with regard to Israel’s plans for new construction in Judea and Samaria.
PA chairman Mahmoud Abbas recently promised a “political and diplomatic response” if Trump moves the embassy to Jerusalem.
Previously, Abbas wrote Trump a letter in which he warnedhim against moving the American embassy, saying that such a move would be crossing a "red line" and could jeopardize peace prospects.
Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) Secretary General Saeb Erekat has been critical of the proposed embassy move as well.
Erekat on Tuesday threatened yet again that the PLO would immediately revoke its recognition of the state of Israel if the United States moved its embassy in the country to Jerusalem, even though the PLO has never changed its charter which states that Israel has no right to exist – despite its promise to do so as part of the Oslo Accords.
"If the Americans or anybody else move the embassy, it is a fait accompli, a recognition of the annexation of East Jerusalem. Period," Erekat said, adding, "For us Palestinians, it's meaningless to have a Palestinian state without East Jerusalem as a capital.”
Erekat was also vocal in his criticism of the Trump administration’s apparent silence following Israel’s approval of 2,500 housing units in Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria.
Several weeks ago, Erekat published a video in which he demanded that the Trump administration respond to the construction.