Hanan Ashrawi
Hanan AshrawiIssam Rimawi/Flash 90

A senior Palestinian Arab official commented on Thursday on the resignation of US President Donald Trump's Middle East envoy, Jason Greenblatt.

Greenblatt’s resignation is an "admission of failure" for the White House's peace plan, claimed Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) official Hanan Ashrawi.

"I think it is a final admission of failure," Ashrawi told AFP when asked about Greenblatt stepping down.

"They tried to bash the Palestinians into submission, to blackmail us to accept whatever their plan was. From the beginning it was doomed to failure," she added.

"I think the Palestinians as a whole are going to say 'good riddance'. He was an apologist for the most extreme, hardline government in the history of Israel," charged Ashrawi.

Meanwhile, the Hamas terrorist organization said Greenblatt's resignation was "good news" and a sign of the Kushner team's "failure".

"Hopefully this will push the current administration to review its position and vision of conflict resolution here, for the sake of stability and security in the region," said Hamas spokesman Bassem Naim, according to AFP.

The White House stated earlier on Thursday that Greenblatt had originally intended to serve as special envoy for two years, but stayed on longer as the roll-out of the peace plan was continuously delayed.

Greenblatt said that he was "incredibly grateful to have been part of a team that drafted a vision for peace. This vision has the potential to vastly improve the lives of millions of Israelis, Palestinians and others in the region."

He further stated that he is looking forward to returning to New Jersey with his family.

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu said in response to Greenblatt's resignation: "I wish to thank Jason Greenblatt for his work for peace and security and for speaking the truth about Israel in front of all those who bash it."

US Ambassador to Israel David Friedman spoke to Arutz Sheva about Greenblatt’s resignation and described him as “a dear friend, an extremely valued colleague who worked extremely hard, at great personal sacrifice.”

"His contribution has been enormous to our efforts. He's a tremendous patriot, a great lover of the United States and a big believer in the strengthening of the relationship between the US and Israel. I would say, to a certain extent, repairing, in the first instance, the relationship between the United States and Israel, and then strengthening it," said Friedman.

Ambassador Friedman said that Greenblatt's work on the US peace plan was completed and that "we'll be able to build on what he's done."

The Palestinian Authority (PA), which views Jerusalem as the capital of a future Palestinian state, has been at odds with the Trump administration and has boycotted it ever since it recognized Jerusalem as Israel’s capital in late 2017 and relocated the US embassy to the city.

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

The peace initiative, partially unveiled at a Bahrain conference in June, includes $50 billion-worth of investment into the Palestinian Authority economy. The political component of the plan is expected to be released after the elections in Israel on September 17.