The United States will restore diplomatic relations with the Palestinians, cut off under former President Donald Trump. The announcement to the UN Security Council was made by the American ambassador to the organization, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, on Thursday (25), according to information from the American CNN.
“Since January, our diplomatic involvement has been guided by the premise that lasting progress towards peace must be based on active consultations with both sides,” the diplomat said, according to the broadcaster. “In this sense, our leadership will act to reopen the diplomatic lines of communication that were cut off during the last administration.”
Thomas-Greenfield also said that under President Joe Biden, the United States “has re-committed to the vision of a mutually agreed two-state solution, in which Israel lives in peace and security with a viable Palestinian state “.
He also announced humanitarian aid of $ 15 million for the West Bank and Gaza Strip. According to the diplomat, this amount will contribute to Catholic Relief Services’ Covid-19 response efforts and provide emergency food assistance to communities that are in a situation of insecurity exacerbated by the pandemic.
The decision is yet another to reverse the policies of the Trump administration, in a series of changes in the Democratic administration that have already affected areas such as the environment and migration. While in the White House, the Republican halted aid equivalent to millions of dollars for both the ANP (Palestinian National Authority) and the UN agency that coordinates humanitarian aid to Arabs.
The then president also announced the move of the US Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, implicitly recognizing the city as the capital of Israel. But the Palestinians dispute it, and the United Nations recommends that countries wait until the end of the conflict before defining changes in their diplomatic posts.
Another point of contention in the Republican administration was the Middle East peace plan, which Trump called “the deal of the century.” The proposal was to create a demilitarized Palestinian state – which reflected the pro-Israel position of the United States and made significant concessions to the country, such as recognition of Israeli sovereignty over its settlements in the West Bank and the Jordan Valley.
The announcement prompted the President of the Palestinian National Authority, Mahmud Abbas, to sever “all his relations” with Israel and the United States.
On Thursday, Thomas-Greenfield said the United States would work to find immediate and tangible ways to “secure Israel’s future as a democratic and Jewish state, while upholding the legitimate aspirations of the Palestinian people for its own.” State and to live in dignity and security. “.
Efforts to find a negotiated two-state solution will be “in accordance with international law and UN resolutions,” the diplomat said, adding that “it is essential that both sides take concrete steps to move forward” on this. question, published CNN. .
The American called on both sides to refrain from “all unilateral actions that make it difficult to find a two-state solution” and urged Israelis and Palestinians to continue to cooperate with Covid-19 vaccines.
Israel is leading the vaccination of its population, with 52% of the country’s residents having already received both doses, according to the New York Times. There is no data on the vaccination of Palestinians in the American newspaper, nor in the data compiled by Our World in Data.
But in recent weeks, Israelis and Palestinians have worked together to prevent the spread of coronavirus contamination in the Holy Land. Representatives of the two sides met to coordinate the measures in a joint control office – whose address is kept secret.
Israel has announced that it will send 20 tons of disinfectant to the West Bank, in addition to 400 kits to perform coronavirus tests, in addition to 500 other kits of protective equipment for Palestinian medical personnel and security forces.
There are joint workshops between the medical teams on both sides.