Palestinian Authority officials in Ramallah said they were troubled by a meeting held on Sunday in Cairo between US envoy Jared Kushner and senior Hamas leaders, describing it as the latest in a series of direct American contacts with the group that they argue sidelines the PA.
PA officials troubled by Kushner-Hamas Cairo meeting, warn of marginalization
Palestinian Authority officials in Ramallah said they were troubled by a meeting held on Sunday in Cairo between US envoy Jared Kushner and senior Hamas leaders, describing it as the latest in a series of direct American contacts with the group that they argue sidelines the PA.
Several Palestinian officials, speaking to The Jerusalem Post, characterized the meeting as part of a pattern they said was deepening a split between Gaza and the West Bank and weakening the PA's standing. They accused Israel and the United States of pursuing a 'divide and rule' policy among Palestinian factions.
The Cairo talks reportedly addressed disarming Hamas and the possibility of the organization handing over its weapons — a long-standing PA demand — as well as the option of integrating Hamas into the political system, according to Palestinian officials.
PA officials noted that Kushner had held discussions with Hamas in Cairo and with Israeli officials in Jerusalem but had not met PA President Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah. One senior official said that since US President Donald Trump was elected, there had been no 'intense, direct, and serious talks' with Abbas and no clear American statement on establishing a Palestinian state.
Officials said their concern centered less on the meeting itself and more on the principle of the US not engaging primarily with the PA, which they said creates what they termed 'double representation' for the Palestinian people and gives Hamas 'new cards to play.'
- The source does not state the US administration's stated rationale for the Cairo meeting or its account of what was discussed.
- The source does not include any response or comment from Jared Kushner or other US officials regarding the PA's concerns.
- The source does not include any response from Hamas regarding the meeting or the PA's characterization of it.
- The source does not include any response from Israeli officials regarding the PA's 'divide and rule' accusation.
- The source does not specify the outcome or agreements, if any, reached at the Cairo meeting.
- The source does not state when or how many prior direct meetings between the current US administration and Hamas have taken place.
Read the original at The Jerusalem Post