Ashrawi says US vice president’s statements on peace ludicrous

RAMALLAH, January 22, 2018 (WAFA) – Hanan Ashrawi, member of the Palestine Liberation Organization’s (PLO) Executive Committee, Monday slammed as “ludicrous” statements by US Vice President Mike Pence that his current Middle East visit was intended to help efforts to broker peace between Israelis and Palestinians.

“The Americans cannot talk about the peace process after they have undermined it following (US President Donald Trump’s) recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital,” Ashrawi told Voice of Palestine radio.

She said that the US has made it worse as it now seeks to also undermine the refugee issue.

The US cut financial aid to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) by over $100 million, $65 million in budget support and $45 million in food aid, to pressure the Palestinian Authority to return to the negotiating table with Israel.

Ashrawi refuted US claims that Pence’s visit to the Middle East was intended to protect Middle Eastern Christians, explaining that the real purpose of the visit is to assure Israel that it and the US are in the same trench considering that Pence is a fundamentalist Evangelical Christian who interpret the Old Testament literally.

Commenting on press reports that Palestinians would be the one to lose if they refused the so-called Trump’s ultimate deal, Ashrawi stated that Trump had not presented any deal and that all that was rumored about the deal was Israeli media reports.

She expressed her belief that the deal was primarily instructions relayed from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to the Americans through AIPAC and other US officials.

Pence arrived in Israel on Sunday coming from Jordan on a two day visit that includes meeting with top Israeli officials. His trip was originally planned for December and included a visit to Bethlehem and the Palestinian territories and a meeting with President Mahmoud Abbas.

However all plans changed after the Palestinians decided against meeting US officials following Trump's highly criticized move on Jerusalem.

K.F./M.K.

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