RAMALLAH, September 10, 2018 (WAFA) – Reacting to the decision by the United States to shut down the Palestine Liberation Organization‘s (PLO) Washington office, Husam Zomlot, head of the PLO General Delegation to the United States, described on Monday the decision as reckless.

"We condemn in the strongest terms, the US administration’s decision to close the Palestinian mission to the US. However, we are not surprised," he said in a statement.

"Such a reckless act confirms that the administration is blindly executing Israel’s ‘wish list,‘ which starts with shutting down Palestinian diplomatic representation in the US."

He said, "The administration’s reasoning for such an act is the refusal of the Palestinian leadership and the PLO Delegation to the US to cooperate with the so-called ‘peace efforts‘ and our actions to hold Israel accountable by referring it to the International Criminal Court. We stand firm in our decision not to cooperate in this ongoing campaign to liquidate our rights and cause. Our rights are not for sale and we will block any attempts at bullying and blackmailing us to forgo our legitimate and internationally endorsed rights."

Zomlot said that those "who have pushed for such an act are taking a direct aim not only against the Palestinian people and the historic US-Palestinian relationship, but also the prospects for peace in the Middle East and the integrity of the international political and legal system."

He said "the US administration is committing to protect Israel from unlawful acts, and provide it with full immunity to kill the two state-solution, and continue violating basic human and national rights of the people of Palestine, while attacking and undermining the international system of legitimacy and legality."

However, he added, "this confirms to us that we are on the right track. We will step up our efforts to hold Israel accountable under international law, continue building international alliances for peace, double our efforts to reach out to the American people as we witness the transformational change in American public opinion in support of the Palestinian cause and our legitimate rights."

"While today is a dark day for peace in the Middle East, for multilateralism, and the integrity of the international political and legal system, we will continue our struggle to pursue all possible legal and political means to achieve peace, independence, and our internationally enshrined rights," Ambassador Zomlot concluded.

M.K.