RAMALLAH, West Bank — As an alternative to US sponsorship, the Palestinian Authority (PA) is looking to recruit an international coalition to guide the peace process with Israel. The PA no longer considers the United States a reliable negotiator in light of US President Donald Trump's recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.

On Dec. 19, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas sent delegations to Russia and China to discuss the possibility of those countries taking an active role in the peace process. Abbas adviser Nabil Shaath spoke Dec. 20 with Al-Monitor by phone after arriving in Beijing. He had just visited Moscow "as part of our delegation's mission to search for new sponsors for the peace process," he said.

Speaking about the outcome of his meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, Shaath said, “We have informed Russia of our decision to reject the US monopoly on the peace process, and if Russia, China and some European countries want to find an international framework for the peace process, we are fully prepared to deal with it. And Russia expressed its readiness to play this role.”

Haaretz reported Dec. 18 that the Palestinian delegation’s visit to Beijing was to coincide with that of an Israeli delegation following an invitation by the Chinese Foreign Ministry. According to Haaretz, this falls under Beijing's policy to strengthen its role in the Middle East and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.