The Biden administration has now had more official contacts with Palestinian officials in the first two weeks than the Trump administration has in the last three years.
Why it matters: Deputy Assistant Secretary of the State Department for Israel-Palestine Hady Amr spoke by phone with multiple Palestinian officials on Monday. Those were the first publicly announced interactions between the parties as the Biden administration engaged in renewing ties that had effectively been severed since Donald Trump announced in December 2017 that he would move the U.S. Embassy in Israel to Jerusalem.
What they say: “We discussed bilateral relations, the latest current developments and politics. It was a positive conversation. It was agreed to continue communication, ” tweeted Palestinian civil affairs minister Hussein al-Sheikh after speaking with Amr.
The big picture: The Biden government plans to reverse much of Trump’s policy on Israel-Palestine.
- According to Biden government officials, the US will resume aid to the Palestinians and reopen the Palestine Liberation Organization office in Washington and the consulate in Jerusalem.
- The Biden government will oppose annexation, settlement building and the demolition of Palestinian homes by Israel.
Worth nothing: Amr will be one of the key players shaping the government’s policy toward Israel and Palestine. He is well respected by Palestinian officials, who see him as a well-balanced actor.
- The Biden administration has no plans to appoint a special envoy for the Israeli-Palestinian peace process, and the matter will largely be dealt with by the State Department.
The last: Palestinian news website Amad reported Saturday that Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh and Palestinian Intelligence Director Majed Faraj also spoke to Amr on the phone.
- Shtayyeh confirmed that they were discussing the US embassy in Jerusalem and the reopening of the PLO office in Washington, along with the extension of US financial aid to the Palestinian Authority and to the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA.