Palestinian president, PM urge Joe Biden to 'strengthen' ties with aim to establish peace

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Prime Minister of Palestine Dr. Mohammad Shtayyeh on November 7 congratulated President-elect Joe Biden and  Vice president-elect Kamala Harris for the 2020 US election victory. President Abbas called for the US to “strengthen” relations between Palestine and Washington that had strained during Trump's presidency. Abbas announced that his country was abolishing the three-year political boycott of the White House that sought to end all political dealings with President Donald Trump's administration after the US Embassy was moved to Jerusalem by US President Trump in 2017. 

"I congratulate President-elect Joe Biden on his victory as President of the United States of America for the coming period," Abbas said in a statement issued by the President’s office in the West Bank city of Ramallah.

Palestine and US relations under the Trump administration suffered massive setback as President Trump recognized Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, which they saw as an effort to eliminate the State of Palestine politically. Meanwhile, Trump’s Palestinian “deal of the century” was largely viewed as a reinvention of the ‘Balfour Declaration,' which the Palestinian analysts Abdul Majid Suwailem described as a deal that undermined the inalienable rights of the Palestinian citizens. 

Abbas urged President-elect Joe Biden to strengthen the Palestinian-American relationship. He said in an official statement that Palestine “looks forward to working with the President-elect and his administration and to strive for Middle East peace, stability and security. In a fresh start to the Palestinian-American relations, the Palestinian leader hoped to achieve freedom, independence, justice, and dignity for Palestinians with US co-operation.

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Reopening PLO office in Washington

Abbas’ offer to mend ties comes as the leader celebrated Trump’s defeat in the election, justifying his dismissal due to his blatant policies that undermined the goal of Palestinian statehood. With Donald Trump’s Abraham Accord, a deal signed between Israel and the Gulf Arab states to normalize ties, Palestine was further isolated. With Democrats in the White House and Joe Biden administration, the US might as likely restore economic assistance to the Palestinians and reopen the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) office in Washington.

In an interview with Detroit’s weekly The Arab American, Vice Presidential designate Kamala Harris said that her government will take immediate steps to reverse Donald Trump’s policies. Biden administration will restore economic and humanitarian assistance to the Palestinian people, address the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza, reopen the US consulate in East Jerusalem, and work to reopen the PLO mission in Washington, Harris told the weekly. 

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(Image Credit: AP)