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US envoy arrives in Tel Aviv amid Palestinian boycott

January 19, 2018 at 10:02 am

US Special Representative for International Negotiations, Jason Greenblatt in Ramallah, West Bank on 25 May 2017 [Issam Rimawi / Anadolu Agency]

US Middle East envoy Jason Greenblatt arrived from Washington to Tel Aviv on Wednesday for talks on the Middle East peace process.

According to Israeli TV Channel 7, Greenblatt will hold a series of meetings with Israeli political officials, representatives of Russia, the United Nations and the European Union to discuss ways to revive negotiations.

Greenblatt will not meet with any Palestinian official during his visit to the occupied territories. In addition, he will not meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu or any of his advisors because they are on an official visit to India, but he will meet with Israeli security authorities.

Greenblatt’s visit will extend until Vice President Mike Pence’s arrival in the region on Sunday evening.

Read: Impediments to UNRWA’s mandate reflect the intention to make violations permanent

One of the matters to be discussed by the US envoy is the issue of reducing US support to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA).

The visit comes after the Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas’ speech in the Palestinian Central Council, in which he described the US plan, known as “the deal of the century”, as the “slap of the century”.

Palestinian officials had actually decided to boycott US officials after President Donald Trump’s decision to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.

The last US peace plan in 2014 was hindered by Israel’s continued building of settlements in the occupied West Bank and Jerusalem.