PA Envoy to Return to Washington

Despite Palestinian statements in recent days that they will no longer work with the U.S. in the wake of President Donald Trump’s declaration that Yerushalayim is Israel’s capital, there was an indication on Monday that the Palestinians have not “shut the door and thrown away the key,” as was suggested.

On Monday, it was announced that PLO Ambassador to the U.S. Husam Zomlot will return to Washington next week. The statement came from Palestinian Authority Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki.

On Sunday night, official PA media reported that Maliki recalled Zomlot for “consultations,” without explaining what prompted the decision. Afterwards, the report was taken down from its websites.

The official PA news agency Wafa subsequently issued a new report that PA President Mahmoud Abbas had called Zomlot to Ramallah to consult about “what happened at the United Nations General Assembly and future steps that will be taken.”

Zomlot posted on social media that he met with Abbas “for hours” and was instructed to return to “the battlefield in Washington.”