The Palestinian Authority can breathe again, at least until US President Donald Trump’s next shoot-from-the-hip maneuver. According to the press briefing by White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer on Jan. 25, the relocation of the US Embassy to Jerusalem has been halted for now.
After Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas understood that Trump was determined to follow through on his campaign promise to relocate the US Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, his office was hit by a barrage of urgent phone calls. PLO Steering and Monitoring Committee Chairman Saeb Erekat, Abbas’ closest adviser, pressured Abbas to adopt an uncompromising stance. Erekat felt that Abbas should threaten that if the embassy is relocated to Jerusalem, the PA would make a declaration abolishing its recognition of Israel and even demand that Arab countries expel their American ambassadors in protest.
