Take Action: Keep the Palestine General Delegation Offices Open!
Washington, D.C. | www.adc.org | November 20, 2017 – The American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) is calling on President Donald Trump and the United States Department of State (DOS) to reverse course on DOS’s recent decision to close the Diplomatic Offices of the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) in Washington D.C.
Last week, DOS claimed that the PLO had violated the terms of its agreement with the U.S. government to maintain a General Delegation office in the U.S. DOS claims the violation stems from PLO representatives’ recent calls for the International Criminal Court (ICC) to investigate potential international war crimes and crimes against humanity perpetrated by Israeli in the occupied West Bank. Such actions by the PLO, according to a 2015 U.S. law, allow DOS to shut down the PLO’s diplomatic office in the U.S. The President, however, can override DOS’s actions if he finds that the PLO, within 90 days of the DOS closure decision, has begun engaging in meaningful and direct peace negotiations with Israel.
This unprecedented action threatens U.S. – Palestinian relations, as well as the entire peace process. Senior PLO officials have already stated that the unnecessary pressure now being exerted on them by the Trump Administration threatens not only U.S.-Middle East relations on the whole, but may also undermine any avenue for peace in the region.
The PLO has maintained an official General Delegation office in the U.S. since 1994 and has never been forced to close its operations before. The fact that the PLO is now being asked to close its diplomatic office in the U.S. for simply trying to advocate for the enforcement of established international laws before the ICC is extremely troubling. The ADC stands for the basic human rights of individuals everywhere and is appalled at DOS’s decision to obstruct avenues for peace-talks in the Middle East simply because the PLO has attempted to support international human rights standards and laws.
The ADC is now asking its community to call on the White House to negate DOS’s decision to close the PLO’s diplomatic mission to the U.S. Additionally, the ADC calls on DOS to reverse its decision to force the PLO to close its diplomatic mission to the U.S.