Palestinian Authority officials accuse US of pushing Abbas aside after Kushner meeting in Cairo

Sunday's meeting in Cairo between US envoy Jared Kushner and senior Hamas leaders has left Palestinian Authority (PA) officials in Ramallah perplexed, deepening their concerns over Washington’s approach to the Palestinian issue and the PLO as the “sole legitimate representative of the Palestinian people.” 

Several Palestinian officials in Ramallah described the meeting, which marked the latest in a series of direct contacts between the American administration and Hamas, as “troubling.” 

They said this ongoing open channel with Hamas contributes to sidelining the PA, and accused Israel and the US of following the same old “divide and rule” policy to enhance splits between Gaza and the West Bank and among the Palestinian factions.

“This looks like a continuation of the same old approach that Israel has taken for years- bolstering Hamas while weakening the PA,” one senior Palestinian official argued in comments to The Jerusalem Post. 

“Since President Trump was elected, we haven't seen intense, direct, and serious talks with President Mahmoud Abbas,” he charged. “We haven’t heard the Americans speak clearly about establishing a Palestinian state,” he added.

He noted it was jarring to see Trump's envoy holding discussions with Hamas in Cairo and with the Israelis in Jerusalem, but not meeting PA’s Abbas in Ramallah.

Core issue is not engaging primarily with PA

Although the Cairo talks reportedly touched on disarming Hamas and pushing it to hand over its weapons - a long-standing PA demand - the officials explained that the core issue is not about the details, but the principle of not engaging primarily with the PA, which paves the way for “double representation" for the Palestinian people.

“This is not the first meeting between the current American administration and Hamas. It looks like a practical move, part of which was meant to discuss the option of enabling Hamas to integrate into the political system,” another Palestinian official said.

But at the same time, he continued, it raises questions about where the PA stands in the priorities. 
“It harms the PA’s representational status and gives Hamas new cards to play,” he said. 

One of the officials noted that while there is no anger over the meeting itself, there is discontent about pushing the PA aside. 

“We don't understand what the Israelis and the Americans are trying to achieve. Do they want to give Hamas more than they have given the Palestinian Authority?” he asked.

“If you want to achieve political stability and open a horizon for peace, you must first talk to the Palestinian Authority and President Abbas- unless Hamas is simply the easier option," he said. "This approach, if it continues, will bring more disaster for our people and the region."

Criticizing Hamas, he said, “There is no Palestinian address more respectful of international law than the PA.”