Palestinian officials are working hard to prepare for the first meeting in the White House between Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and the new US president, Donald Trump. After an initial phone call and a high-profile Feb. 15 meeting between Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Palestinians were worried that the Trump administration was planning to bypass the legitimate Palestinian leadership. Trump's meetings with King Abdullah of Jordan and phone calls to several Arab leaders added to this concern. 

The Ramallah-based leadership wasn’t too worried, because from day one the Trump administration had initiated security- and intelligence-level meetings. Majed Faraj, head of the Palestinian Intelligence service, met with US officials in Washington on Feb. 8-9; on Feb. 14, the director of the CIA, Mike Pompeo, made a surprise visit to Ramallah to meet with the Palestinian president. The meetings most likely dealt with security issues.

When the Trump-Abbas phone call was finally initiated March 10 and Trump invited Abbas to the White House, Palestinian officials let out a sigh of relief. Palestinian media hailed the breakthrough, and preparations were put in place to prepare for a meeting sometime in April.

While the phone call and invitation were welcomed, the concern about the Trump administration bypassing the Palestinians and making a deal with Arab leaders persisted. Media reports and rumors talked about a potential watering down of the 2002 Arab Peace Plan and the possibility of a regional Arab meeting that would downgrade Palestinian representation.