PA deplores plans by Jordan, Egypt to attend US-led confab in Bahrain
The Palestinian Authority (PA) says it “deeply regrets” decisions by Jordan and Egypt to attend an upcoming US-led conference in Bahrain, which revolves around a controversial Washington-devised plan on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
The Authority “calls on them and all brotherly and friendly countries to withdraw,” the PA’s spokesman Ibrahim Melhim said Tuesday.
“Under the cover of this participation, the US is trying to create solutions outside the realm of international legitimacy that detracts from the legitimate national rights of the Palestinian people,” he added.
The comments came after Egypt, Jordan and Morocco reportedly informed Washington of their plans to send representatives to the June 25-26 conference, which seeks to unveil the economic aspects of a scheme forged by the US to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Washington has withheld details about its “deal of the century,” but various leaks have revealed that it seriously compromises Palestinians’ rights and grievances.
The Times of Israel said the Arab trio’s decision now “paves the way for Israel to be invited as well.”
According to a report cited by the paper, US officials wanted to secure enough Arab participation, particularly that of Egypt and Jordan, before bringing Israel into the picture.
Palestinians have accused regional Arab states, including Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates — which have similarly announced plans to participate at the conference — of betraying the Palestinian cause of ending Israel’s occupation.
All Palestinian factions, whether in the Gaza Strip or the occupied West Bank, have unanimously boycotted the conference.
Meanwhile, Azzam al-Ahmad, a senior official with the Fatah Party — which dominates the PA and the Palestine Liberation Organization umbrella group — said the outcome of the Manama event will have “no legal value” as long as “the stakeholders oppose” it.
“How can the workshop take place in a brotherly Arab country in the absence of the main stakeholder of the [Palestinian] issue…? The mere holding of [the conference] is in contravention of the Arab Peace Initiative that affirmed the two-state solution, ending the occupation, establishing an independent Palestinian state and the return of refugees in accordance with UN General Assembly Resolution 194,” he said.
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