US and Abbas’s PA said at odds over joint statement on Palestinian capital

The US and Palestinian Authority cannot agree on the wording of a possible joint statement to be issued when visiting US President Joe Biden meets PA President Mahmoud Abbas in Bethlehem on Friday, Channel 12 reports.

The United States was prepared to have such a statement speak of a two-state solution, with the Palestinian state to have its capital in East Jerusalem. But the PA wanted phrasing saying the capital of the Palestinian state would be East Jerusalem.

The unsourced report says Abbas, despite this disagreement and wider dissatisfaction with Biden’s positions, is telling his hierarchy not to criticize the US president. Nonetheless, demonstrations against Biden are expected in Ramallah tomorrow, Channel 12 says, with protesters expected to declare that Biden is not welcome.

Channel 12 also says Israel rejected two requests raised by the Americans relating to the Palestinians ahead of Biden’s arrival — requests raised by US officials, not leaders.

The first request was to set up a joint panel of some kind, involving Israel, the US, Jordan and the Palestinians, to discuss “the status quo in Jerusalem” — a presumed reference to the Temple Mount, and especially Jewish prayer there. Israel rejected this request out of hand, the report says.

The second request was to formulate and issue a joint statement condemning violence, presumably from all sides of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Israel agreed that all violence must be condemned, but said no to such a statement because it would imply equal responsibility for the violence, the report said.