WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump is closing the Palestinian Liberation Organization's mission in Washington, the latest U.S. blow against the Palestinians and an international court during the stalled Mideast peace process.
Some things to know:
THE GIST
The Trump administration is closing the Palestinian mission in the U.S. capital because the PLO has attempted to get an international court to prosecute Israel for alleged war crimes, according to multiple administration officials.
A provision in a U.S. law says the PLO mission must close if the Palestinians try to get the International Criminal Court to prosecute Israelis for crimes against Palestinians.
"This is yet another affirmation of the Trump administration's policy to collectively punish the Palestinian people, including by cutting financial support for humanitarian services including health and education," Palestinian official Saeb Erekat said.
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WHAT IT MEANS
It's another strike at a half-century of U.S. policy toward the region. For decades, even amid close U.S.-Israeli ties, Washington had tried to position itself as a neutral party in the vexing Mideast conflict, willing to call out both sides when they take steps seen as contrary to the pursuit of peace.
Several U.S. presidents in both parties have tried to broker a peace accord without success. The two-state solution envisions an independent Palestinian state alongside Israel, with the boundaries negotiated in talks between the parties.
The U.S. does not currently recognize the Palestinian territories as an independent state, though the U.N. General Assembly overwhelmingly voted in 2012 to recognize Palestine as a "non-member observer state."
Closing the PLO mission in Washington almost certainly will stiffen the Palestinians' opposition to any Trump peace plan now being worked on by President Donald Trump's Middle East point men, Jared Kushner and Jason Greenblatt.
The Palestinian leadership has been openly hostile to any proposal from the administration, citing what it says is a pro-Israel bias.
