US Closing Palestinian Liberation Organization Offices

 

The United States says the offices of the General Delegation¹ of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) in Washington should close.

The U.S. State Department said on Monday that the PLO has not taken steps to support the start of direct and meaningful negotiations² with Israel. The Associated Press reports that a requirement in U.S. law states that the PLO mission must close if the peace process does not move forward.

President Donald Trump³ has shown strong support for Israel and criticized Palestinian leaders for not doing enough to work toward a peace deal.

The Trump administration said that the PLO has not worked with the U.S. government in peace efforts. The group has also condemned⁴ an American peace plan that has yet to be released.

The State Department added that the decision to close the PLO offices is consistent with concerns within the administration and in the U.S. Congress. Issues of concern include Palestinian attempts to get the International Criminal Court (ICC) to take legal action against Israel.

The ICC was established in 2002. The court’s aim is to bring to justice individuals accused of war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide.

Administration official speaks about the ICC

President Trump’s national security advisor⁵, John Bolton, spoke⁶ about the ICC during his visit Monday to the Federalist Society research group, in Washington.

Bolton noted⁷ that the U.S. government never signed the treaty creating the court and does not recognize it. He also said the U.S. would consider restrictions⁸ against ICC lawyers or officials involved in efforts to investigate Americans.

The U.S. government has traditionally positioned itself as a neutral party in the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians.

The U.S. does not recognize the Palestinian territories of the West Bank and Gaza as an independent state. The United Nations General Assembly, however, voted in 2012 to recognize Palestine as what it calls a “member observer state.”

The statements by the State Department and Bolton come as the U.S. government has increased pressure on the Palestinians to get involved in peace efforts.

This month, the United States announced it was stopping payments to the U.N. agency that helps Palestinian refugees. The U.S. government supplies nearly 30 percent of the budget for the U.N. Relief and Works Agency. In addition to UN aid, the government cancelled another $200 million in direct aid to Palestinians last month.

The PLO denounced the decision to close its Washington offices. PLO Executive Committee member Hanan Ashrawi said the U.S. policy was unfair. She said, through its actions, the U.S. “seeks to punish the Palestinian people as a whole.”

I’m Mario Ritter.

Words in This Story

mission – n. a group of people sent to a foreign country for a purpose or reason

consistent – adj. always acting or behaving in the same way

1 delegation   

n.代表团；派遣

参考例句：

• The statement of our delegation was singularly appropriate to the occasion.我们代表团的声明非常适合时宜。
• We shall inform you of the date of the delegation's arrival.我们将把代表团到达的日期通知你。

2 negotiations   

协商( negotiation的名词复数 )； 谈判； 完成（难事）； 通过

参考例句：

• negotiations for a durable peace 为持久和平而进行的谈判
• Negotiations have failed to establish any middle ground. 谈判未能达成任何妥协。

3 trump   

n.王牌，法宝；v.打出王牌，吹喇叭

参考例句：

• He was never able to trump up the courage to have a showdown.他始终鼓不起勇气摊牌。
• The coach saved his star player for a trump card.教练保留他的明星选手，作为他的王牌。

4 condemned   

adj. 被责难的, 被宣告有罪的 动词condemn的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• He condemned the hypocrisy of those politicians who do one thing and say another. 他谴责了那些说一套做一套的政客的虚伪。
• The policy has been condemned as a regressive step. 这项政策被认为是一种倒退而受到谴责。

5 advisor   

n.顾问，指导老师，劝告者

参考例句：

• They employed me as an advisor.他们聘请我当顾问。
• The professor is engaged as a technical advisor.这位教授被聘请为技术顾问。

6 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

7 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

8 restrictions   

约束( restriction的名词复数 )； 管制； 制约因素； 带限制性的条件（或规则）

参考例句：

• I found the restrictions irksome. 我对那些限制感到很烦。
• a snaggle of restrictions 杂乱无章的种种限制