In response to the Trump administration’s move to close the PLO’s office in Washington, J Street president Jeremy Ben-Ami issued the following statement:
“The Trump administration just granted another gift to enemies of a two-state solution by forcing the PLO to shut down its Washington office. This latest salvo against peace came as American Jews, who overwhelmingly support a two-state solution, were observing Rosh Hashanah in their homes and communities.
This is the latest in a series of moves explicitly intended to pressure and undermine the only government among the U.S., Israel and the Palestinians that currently endorses a two-state solution. It follows the previously unimaginable spectacle of an American government expressly attempting to take final status issues like Jerusalem and refugees ‘off the table’; maliciously choking off bilateral and multilateral assistance benefiting Palestinians in dire need of clean water, medicine and education; and making clear the U.S. will no longer speak out against unrelenting Israeli illegal settlement activity.
One by one, this administration is kicking the legs out from under any possible negotiating table. No one benefits from this sabotage other than those who oppose a just and lasting peace for Israelis and Palestinians. The record makes clear that any ‘peace’ proposal coming from this administration is nothing more than a sham. No serious person who cares about the security and dignity of Israelis and Palestinians will buy it.”