14 September 2018•Update: 14 September 2018
By Qais Abu Samra
RAMALLAH, Palestine
The Palestinian presidency has slammed recent remarks by Jared Kushner, a top aide to U.S. President Donald Trump, regarding recent funding cuts to Palestinian institutions.
In a Friday press statement, presidential spokesman Nabil Abu Rudeina said Kushner’s remarks reflected “ignorance” regarding the decades-long Middle East conflict.
“Peace will only come through a two-state solution making East Jerusalem the capital of an independent Palestinian state in line with international resolutions,” he asserted.
“The American understanding of the situation reflects an irresponsible policy that… poses a genuine threat to international law and order,” Abu Rudeina added.
On Thursday, the New York Times quoted Kushner as saying that Palestinian leaders “deserve to lose aid after vilifying the [U.S.] administration”.
In recent months, the U.S. administration has aggressively reduced financial aid -- or cancelled it entirely -- to several Palestinian institutions.
This week, the administration also announced the closure of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO)’s Washington office, which had also served as a Palestinian embassy.
The funding reductions come as the Trump administration prepares to unveil a controversial Mideast peace plan dubbed the “Deal of the Century”, details of which have yet to be publicized.
Palestinian officials, however, have continued to rule out any American role in the peace process since Trump unilaterally recognized Jerusalem as Israel's capital last year.
Jerusalem remains at the heart of the Israel-Palestine conflict, with Palestinians hoping that East Jerusalem -- occupied by Israel since 1967 -- might eventually serve as the capital of a sovereign Palestinian state.
