America’s ambassador to the United Nations has fired back at a top Palestinian official who suggested she should “shut up” after she criticised Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.

“I will not shut up,” Nikki Haley said during a speech at the United Nations, claiming that she was speaking some “hard truths” about the Palestinian attitude to working towards a peace deal with Israel.

“There is the path of absolutist demands, hateful rhetoric and incitement to violence. That path has led and will continue to lead to nothing but hardship for the Palestinian people,” she said.

Ms Haley was responding to comments from top Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat in which he assailed Ms Haley’s criticism of Mr Abbas.

“Nikki Haley needs to shut up and realise that the Palestinian leadership is not the problem,” Mr Erekat said in an interview with website Al-Watan Voice.

The verbal skirmishing reflects deteriorating US-Palestinian relations since Donald Trump chose to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, drawing global rebukes — including a UN resolution blasting the move — and prompting Mr Erekat to declare that “the two-state solution is over”.

East Jerusalem's cherished horses Show all 14 1 /14 East Jerusalem's cherished horses East Jerusalem's cherished horses A Palestinian man pets a horse in the living room of horse trader Fares Salem in the East Jerusalem neighbourhood of A-tur Reuters East Jerusalem's cherished horses Palestinian teenager Mohammad Gharabli tends to his horse as it eats from a plastic container in the East Jerusalem neighbourhood of Beit Hanina Reuters East Jerusalem's cherished horses Two white horses seen head-to-head in the East Jerusalem neighbourhood of Beit Hanina Reuters East Jerusalem's cherished horses Palestinian horse trader Fares Salem (R) sits next to a friend while his horse stands in his living room in the East Jerusalem neighbourhood of A-tur Reuters East Jerusalem's cherished horses Palestinian teenager Mohammad Gharabli stands on his horse in the East Jerusalem neighbourhood of Beit Hanina Reuters East Jerusalem's cherished horses Palestinian teenagers ride their horses during sunset in the East Jerusalem neighbourhood of Shuafat Reuters East Jerusalem's cherished horses Palestinian teenagers use their mobile phones while sitting with their horses in the East Jerusalem neighbourhood of Beit Hanina Reuters East Jerusalem's cherished horses Palestinian teenager Dris Subblaban kisses his horse in the East Jerusalem neighbourhood of Beit Hanina Reuters East Jerusalem's cherished horses Palestinian teenager Dris Subblaban sits on top of his horse under a tree in the East Jerusalem neighbourhood of Beit Hanina Reuters East Jerusalem's cherished horses Palestinian teenager Mahmoud Montasir washes his horse with a hose in the East Jerusalem neighbourhood of Beit Hanina Reuters East Jerusalem's cherished horses Palestinian horse trader Fares Salem stands next to a running horse in a field in East Jerusalem Photography by Reuters/Ammar Awad East Jerusalem's cherished horses A horse looks out of a stable window in the East Jerusalem neighbourhood of A-tur Reuters East Jerusalem's cherished horses Horses stand in the living room of Fares Salem, a horse trader, in the East Jerusalem neighbourhood of A-tur Reuters East Jerusalem's cherished horses Palestinian horse trader Fares Salem plays with his horse inside the living room of his house in the East Jerusalem neighbourhood of A-tur Photography by Reuters/Ammar Awad

Facing a broad backlash over the Jerusalem decision, the Trump administration has responded by threatening punitive measures against the Palestinians.