WASHINGTON - Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, reacted on Wednesday to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas’ declaration that the PA will halt coordination with the US and Israel.“We hope that the security arrangements will continue to be in place, that the work that’s done on the ground there to keep people in Israel and Palestinians safe will continue,” Pompeo said in a press conference.
“I’m not exactly sure what to make of his statement, but I regret that he has decided to abrogate these agreements,” the Secretary continued. He added that the administration laid out a clear vision for peace. “We asked the Israelis and the Palestinians to agree that that would be the basis for negotiations between them. The Israelis have accepted that. The Palestinians have continued to refuse to just simply sit down and enter into negotiation based on President Trump’s Vision for Peace there,” Pompeo said.
He said that the administration's vision for peace would lead to better lives for the Palestinian people. “It acknowledges that in a very clear and unambiguous way. We hope that the leadership in the Palestinian Authority will see that that’s in their people’s best interest, and that we can move out in that way according to the vision that was laid out.”
Secretary Pompeo also addressed his visit to Israel last week. “We had conversations about how we can move this vision for peace forward, and we’re going to continue to work with all the parties involved to try to get that ultimate outcome,” he said.