Erekat Met with American Leaders of Commonwealth Club

Dr. Saeb Erekat, General-Secretary of the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) met with the delegation of the American leaders of the Commonwealth Club.

He discussed in detail with the American guests the chances of peace in the Middle East.

During the meeting, he warned that the so-called deal of the century is a plan of annexation, settlements, and apartheid.

Dr. Erekat stressed that any solution for the Palestinian issue must be based on the international law, ending the Israeli occupation and two States on the 1967 borders.

The senior Palestinian official accused the Trump administration of trying to depose the Palestinian leadership in a “coup".

He told the delegation that the  “impudent” US envoy to the United Nations Nikki Haley should “shut up” with her criticism of Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.

Erekat, who has led the Palestinian peace negotiations for more than 25 years, singled out Haley, who slammed Abbas for a recent speech that was full of anti-Semitic tropes.

He said that Haley’s “impudence” has gone as far as calling for the removal of Abbas from power.

“She called for overthrowing the democratically elected Palestinian president,” Erekat complained.

“This is the president who led the peace process and promoted the principle of the two-state solution,” Erekat said, referring to Abbas. “Now this [US] ambassador is accusing him of lacking courage, and is calling for replacing him.”

"Only the Palestinian people have that right," he said. “The Palestinian people are loyal to their martyrs, prisoners, wounded, struggles, steadfastness, and heroism. This is the reality. The Palestinians are the only ones who are entitled to hold their leaders accountable.”

“President Abbas declared the landmark Oslo Peace Accords dead. He rejected any American role in peace talks.

“A speech that indulges in outrageous and discredited conspiracy theories is not the speech of a person with the courage and the will to seek peace,” she said.

Erekat insisted that Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, together with Haley’s remarks, amounted to an attempt to stage a “coup” against the “Palestinian political system.”