Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has called on the US to remove the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) from the US terrorist list. “We are not terrorists,” he said at a meeting with US President Joe Biden in Bethlehem today. Palestinians would fight terrorism in their region and in the world. Abbas also called for the reopening of the US consulate in Jerusalem.
R/Mohamad Torokman
The secularly oriented Palestinian President’s Party is the largest faction of the PLO. Fatah’s goal is an independent Palestinian state. In the past, Fatah has also resorted to violent fighting. After recognizing Israel in 1988, it changed its charter and, according to its own statements, is now striving to found a state by peaceful means.
Biden promised the Palestinians additional financial aid from the United States. “Today I am announcing that the United States will provide an additional $200 million to allow the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) to continue the vital work of helping Palestinians most in need,” Biden said. Under his predecessor, Donald Trump, the US government stopped making payments.