Palestinian president, top US diplomat speak over phone

By Hamdi Yildiz

RAMALLAH, Palestine (AA) – Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas spoke by phone Tuesday with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

Abbas told Blinken that his administration is in the process of taking measures against Israel, which does not adhere to international resolutions, according to the Palestinian official news agency WAFA.

Underlining that it is not possible to remain silent in the face of what is happening in the country at the moment, Abbas said Israel maintains its unilateral stance, especially in Jerusalem.

He stressed that the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) should be removed from the US list of terrorist organizations and that the US Consulate in East Jerusalem should be reopened.

Blinken meanwhile said that President Joe Biden's administration remains committed to a two-state solution, stopping the expansion of settlements and preventing the expulsion of Palestinians from neighborhoods in Jerusalem.

Noting that the US Consulate in Jerusalem will reopen, Blinken said a high-level delegation will go and discuss all these issues before Biden's visit to the region.

He also said the US administration is willing to investigate the murder of Palestinian-American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh.

*Writing by Seda Sevencan