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PLO office closure threat could be last straw for Palestinians

Though it was reversed just a week later, the US decision to close the PLO office in Washington led to increased calls for the Palestinians to move ahead with more unilateral actions.
A woman walks past the Palestine Liberation Organization office in Washington, U.S., November 19, 2017. U.S. State Department official said that under legislation passed by Congress, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson could not renew a certification that expired this month for the PLO office. REUTERS/Yuri Gripas - RC1862073780
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The US decision Nov. 17 to close the PLO office in Washington produced a rare instance of Palestinian unity. Palestinian officials, Palestinian-Americans and opposition activists are all in agreement that the US decision could help usher in a new path for Palestinians. All seem to agree that this could be a rare opportunity to break away from the current US attempts to dictate to Palestinians their strategy, actions and even words.

This unity helped the PLO reject any engagement with the US government and as a result the Trump administration on Nov. 24 reversed its decision and said it would allow the office to continue operations, albeit with some restrictions for the next 90 days.

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