CLOSED: Trump Administration to Shut Down Palestinian Liberation Organization DC Office
PLO Leaders claim it’s “political blackmail”
The Trump administration will close the Palestinian Liberation Organization office in DC, leaving the Gazans “without a formal presence in the U.S. capital,” reports CBS News.
More from CBS:
The Trump administration has informed the Palestinian government that its primary office in Washington D.C. will be closed, deepening a rift with the Palestinians and drawing cries of a “dangerous escalation” from their leadership. The move, which U.S. officials were yet to confirm on Monday morning, comes after the White House said over the weekend that it was cutting $25 million in funding for health services in heavily-Palestinian East Jerusalem.
Senior Palestinian diplomat Dr. Saeb Erekat confirmed in a statement released Monday that the U.S. government had informed the Palestinian Authority that the office of the Palestine Liberation Organization, effectively the Palestinian parliament, would be shuttered.
“We have been notified by a US official of their decision to close the Palestinian Mission to the US. This is yet another affirmation of the Trump Administration’s policy to collectively punish the Palestinian people, including by cutting financial support for humanitarian services including health and education,” Erekat said in the statement.
The $25 million that had been allocated to “East Jerusalem hospitals and putting the money toward “high-priority projects elsewhere,” said the Trump Administration Saturday.
Last month, the State Department cut some $200 million in aide also designated for Gaza after Trump ordered the department to conduct a review of the expenditure “to ensure the spending was aligned with U.S. national interests.”
The State Department said the review was intended to make sure the American aid was “being spent in accordance with U.S. national interests and were providing value to the U.S. taxpayer.” The administration “will be redirecting approximately $25 million originally planned for the East Jerusalem Hospital Network. Those funds will go to high-priority projects elsewhere,” the department added. It did not identify the projects.
PLO leaders claim the reallocation of US taxpayer funds amounts to “political blackmail.”
In response, Palestine Liberation Organization executive committee member Hanan Ashrawi accused the administration of threatening to cause “serious instability and grave harm” to thousands of patients and their families across the West Bank and Gaza Strip, and jeopardize the livelihood of thousands of workers in the Palestinian health care sector.
“Such an act of political blackmail goes against the norms of human decency and morality,” Ashrawi said in a statement. “Politics should not trump humanity or harm a vulnerable people in need of support and protection.”
Last fall, the Trump administration threatened to shutter the office but didn’t follow through. Gazans blamed the Israeli lobby and the Netanyahu influence on the administration for Trump’s threat.
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Comments
September, 2018. “This is yet another affirmation of the Trump Administration’s policy to collectively punish the Palestinian people . . .”
No, it’s simply a reminder of what the so-called “Palestinian people” did on another September, the one in 1972. A reminder of the countless murderous attacks by “Palestinians” on Israel.
All part of a 1400-year jihad by Muslims on the world at large.
Trump keeps making me happier day by day. How about booting out all the Palestinians Obama allowed into America?
Why did a terrorist organization have an office in DC in the first place?
A habit of appeasement despite decades of proof that it doesn’t work.
There is another front in DC which needs to be shut down, the Council for Arab Islamic Relations (CAIR).
It is truly a sad state of affairs when foreigners not even within our borders are claiming the right to US welfare entitlements.
Mexicans and other Latin Americans have been doing the same.
About freaking time. We need to stop treating these scum like they are a real country. It’s like Afghanistan. Not a real country, just an empty spot on the map where real countries aren’t. For that matter, we can stop treating Palis (and for that matter, Afghanis) like they are civilized people.
I don’t mind the Afghans so much and think we should mainly leave them alone to their lives. “Palestinians” on the other hand have got to go. Don’t make this about Afghanistan, a much less clear-cut case.
You don’t mind them so much? Hmmm. You should. I guess you haven’t read up much on their behaviour when they are in civilised countries, or for that matter, their “interesting” customs in their own part of the world.
I think of the bachi bazi (sp?) boys and I cringe. We do not need such ‘cultural values’ here, or anywhere.
That’s the whole point. If they make life a living hell back home in Shitholeistan, Uncle Sam doesn’t give a hoot. If they enjoy hatred, disease and squalor, great—send us a postcard but don’t come to visit on Christmas.
Allowing them to come here so they can turn the US into a new Shitholeistan, though—we’re not too keen on that.
Both create and live in shit holes.
Finally! The leeches and terrorists of the so-called “Palestinians” (there actually is no such thing) don’t deserve one red cent of U.S. taxpayers money. They deserve no presence or representation in the U.S. And if they get in the way of U.S. policies or prerogative, bulldoze them. Let’s see how they manage fending for themselves. No more enabling.
“PLO leaders claim the reallocation of US taxpayer funds amounts to “political blackmail.””
Spoken like a true entitlement parasite.
There is a reason that Palestinians and Black Liars Matter are buddies, they are very much alike.
Ending political blackmail is what is happening now
“Such an act of political blackmail goes against the norms of human decency and morality,” Ashrawi said in a statement. “Politics should not trump humanity or harm a vulnerable people in need of support and protection.”
He should learn the Arabic translation of “Beggars can’t be Choosers”.
Good.
On a separate but related note, I wonder what Muzzie scum or Libtard Muzzie Scum Enabler comes through here occasionally to downvote comments critical of Muzzie scum…
Remember, everyone, it’s not a religion. It’s a hostile, fascist political system designed to control populations that was invented by a bloodthirsty paedophile, and disguised as a religion to fool the feeble minded. Or the Left. Pardon the redundancy.
Gah, no edit function!
Political blackmail? Oh, I thought it was racism. I suppose that’s an improvement.
I haven’t heard from Hanan Ashrawi in about 25 years. At one time the Press decided she was the go-to person for commentary on Palestinian outrages . . . so she was in the news a lot. TV reporters did seem to enjoy trying to articulate her name on-air.
Not to worry. o’Bama has a big beautiful house just a few miles away, with plenty of extra room for his friends, the PLO, to set up shop there.
They are going to freeze US ties, goody goody. Next they can start cutting off their nose to spite us. Considering the nature of Palestinians, the only ties we should have with them are those created by weapons. Let’s start by creating a DMZ zone with fuel air weapons. Every time they pull one of their stunts, increase the size of the DMZ zone. Keep this up until they either beg for peace or they are all gone.
About time. Spend it here at home. It buys us zero influence and zero results that help us.
Spend it where it will have an impact if you have to spend it all.
Tell them to go build a real country with a real economy like their neighbors Israel did. Then they can take care of themselves.
PrincetonAl I have to disagree. Better that the “money” not be spent at all. We’re trillions in debt and still borrowing from China, no doubt. Unbelievably bad national security issue.
We don’t have to “spend” money on something else to show the issue wasn’t the money, it was the behavior/policy we didn’t like. Let’s just NOT spend the damn money!!
Trump doesn’t make “treats” – he sets BOUNDARIES.
He told them in Geneva (the presser with Bibi): I’m moving the embassy, so the sticking point of Jerusalem is off the negotiating table. Now come negotiate peace, or we start cutting aid.
Abbas doubles down and say F-U, we don’t need your stinking money.
Cool by us.
This is CLASSIC TRUMP NEGOTIATION 101.
The longer you wait, the LESS YOU GET (hear that Trudeau?).
After all the aid gets taken, then start THE SANCTIONS (when that happens, remember I SAID IT HERE FIRST).
The BDS/Lefties are probably pull their hair out over this (what little they have left – I hear wearing pink pussy hats causes baldness).
Next move – they’ll whine at the U.N., the anti-Israel/US crew will condemn us – oh the PAIN OF CONDEMNATION at the U.N. – who we need to DEFUND ALSO and tell them to move back across the pond. Cheeper to fly Haley over to wherever they move it, then to let them continue to occupy valuable real estate, run up parking tickets, and bring all manner of spies and human/drug traffickers here on “Diplomatic Cover”.
Rick
The next time something contentious comes up about the UN, I’d like to hear Trump say “I have often though that it is a great location for a hotel.”
The smart ones will shut up at that point.
And really, all that Trump is doing is setting boundaries. He is the “drug counselor” of politics. I am of the old school, where the second that tough love is mentioned as an option, it becomes the only option. By setting limits with the PLO, the next group will think twice about pushing it.
It just keeps getting better and better.
No politician as far as you can see in any direction would have taken this action or threatened to. The PLO has been radioactive and a useful wedge. It is clear, this admin is serious about voiding the status quo. Weird. Actual third rails are getting touched and then they move on. Stuff is getting done. Nice.
Clearly, it is unconstitutional for President Trump to follow the law enacted by Congress.
I heard that after burning all those tires, Palestinians thought they were going to start pouring cement tires, but after they wasted so much cement on tunnels, that both tires and cement are in short supply. Apparently, today they are driving around on rims, and fuel is in short supply because they blew up the line delivering their fuel. Apparently, that is why they are known as camel jockeys 🙂 They are returning to their roots.
As a child, I remember that these people were always portrayed as dumb, dishonest, murdering, then when I grew up it turned out that they were worse than the stereotype.
It is insane that we give these people any quarter.
Lawrence of Arabia was a documentary, on all levels.
For a man the press (and the GOPe, and the NeverTrumpers, and the punditosphere) keeps telling us is “deeply flawed,” President Trump seems to have a store of basic sense which we haven’t seen in Washington since . . . well, since the last time we had a balanced budget (and not a Clintonian fake balanced budget, a real one which didn’t run up the national debt that year).
The Trump era could revolutionize American politics, if we can just prevent the professional political swamp from regaining complete control. Maybe term/tenure limits for everybody—elective office, appointees, bureaucrats, employees, the whole lot—would help.
Oorah !! For our magnificent, courageous, and beloved President Donald Trump !!! ABJ
One step at a time, Trump’s crushing them into dust. I love it!
Time for Trump to fire all senior people hired by Obama.