Palestine Officially Refuses Invitation of US Peace Talks in Bahrain

Ramallah, MINA – Palestinian Authority officially refused invitation to a peaceful conference led by the United States (US) in Bahrain next month. The conference was called by US President Donald Trump as the beginning of resolution of conflict between Israel and Palestine.

“This is an official announcement that Palestine will not attend the Manama meeting. “This is the collective position of Palestine from President Mahmoud Abbas and PLO Executive Committee to all Palestinian political movements and factions, national figures, private sector and civil society,” Palestinian senior official Saeb Erekat said in a statement reported by Breitbart on Friday.

Erekat said that there would be no Palestinian representatives present at the conference. He requested that all parties obey and respect the collective position and not try to follow the US-led talks.

Earlier, last week, the US announced it would carry out the first phase of a long awaited proposal. Washington said it would outline economic benefits if a peace agreement could be reached.

In a statement, the US special envoy to the Middle East, Jason Greenblatt said that the proposal had potential to open a prosperous future for Palestine. However, Palestine through Erekat replied that economic potential could be fully achieved for them by ending Israeli occupation.

“The full potential of Palestinian economy can only be achieved by ending Israeli occupation and respecting international law and UN resolutions,” Erekat said.

Greenblatt said that Palestinians had made a mistake to refuse to join the conference. He also added that the Palestinians would not suffer any losses, instead gaining many benefits by following US-led talks.

“But of course, that’s their choice,” Greenblatt said.

The US-led peace conference in the capital city of Manamah, Bahrain will certainly be attended by the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Saudi Arabia. According to the Jerusalem Post, the two countries and Egypt have expressed concern over the Palestinian refusal to attend the talks. (T/Sj/P2)

Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)