Palestinian Journalists Scorn White House Invite

A Palestinian journalists’ organization has spurned a suggestion that they be invited to the White House to discuss the U.S. peace plan for the Middle East.

The Palestinian Journalists’ Syndicate (PJS) rejected the idea, which had been put forth by presidential envoy Jason Greenblatt, according to the Palestinian news agency WAFA on Wednesday.

In an attempt to reach out to Palestinians after the Palestinian Authority boycotted the U.S.-led Bahrain conference, Greenblatt said that “one idea would be potentially inviting Palestinian journalists to the White House, or maybe somewhere more neutral, and have our team make presentations directly to the Palestinian media what the plan is all about.” He was quoted by the PA’s official newspaper, Al-Ayyam.

The PJS denounced the invitation as another “failed and desperate” attempt by the U.S. administration to bypass the Palestinian leadership, and called on “all journalists to reject the invitation and stick to the position of the syndicate and the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO).”

The PJS is dominated by supporters of PA President Mahmoud Abbas’s ruling Fatah faction, according to The Jerusalem Post.