After the two leaders met at a conference in Kazakhstan on Thursday, Abbas said he was ‘happy and satisfied’ with Russia’s support of the Palestinians, and that they have ‘have no trust in the U.S.’
WASHINGTON — The Biden administration issued a rare public stinging rebuke of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, days after he lauded Russian President Vladimir Putin while slamming the U.S.
“We were deeply disappointed to hear President Abbas’s remarks yesterday to President Putin. Russia does NOT stand for justice and international law, as evidenced by yesterday’s vote at the UN General Assembly,” a National Security Council spokesperson said.
Abbas, meeting with Putin on the sidelines of the CICA conference of Asian countries in Kazakhstan, had said the Palestinians “have no trust in the U.S.” and that they do not want the U.S. alone to assist in efforts to resolve the conflict with Israel. He added that the PA was “happy and satisfied” with Russia’s support of the Palestinians.
His comments came amid an ever-present rift between the Biden administration and the PA, despite the administration’s attempts to repair ties with the Palestinians, previously severed by the Trump administration. The administration, which has committed nearly $700 million in aid to the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees and various measures aimed at improving Palestinians’ daily lives.
Palestinian officials, meanwhile, dismissed these steps at half-measures meant to distract from the lack of diplomatic progress toward a two-state solution. While the U.S. administration has been reticent to respond to the Palestinians’ sharp criticism of its failure to hold Israel accountable and move diplomatic efforts forward, it deemed Abbas’ praise of Putin amid Russia’s invasion of Ukraine untenable.
A senior Palestinian official told Haaretz that the PA knew a meeting with Putin at this moment could be considered problematic in the eyes of Western countries and especially Washington. “Abbas cannot refuse such an invitation to meet with Putin,” the official said, emphasizing that Russia been a supporter of the Palestinian cause for years and maintains cooperation with the authority in many areas.
“Russia stands by justice and international law and that is enough for us,” Abbas had told Putin, further eliciting U.S. outrage.
“Russia’s war of aggression in Ukraine is a clear violation of international law and serves as a threat to global peace and security. Putin is a far cry from the type of international partner needed to constructively address the Israeli-Palestinian conflict,” the U.S. spokesperson said.
“President Biden, in contrast, has demonstrated U.S. commitment for decades to seeking creative solutions and working toward the lasting peace needed to advance stability and prosperity throughout the Middle East,” the spokesperson added.
Abbas’ comments came one week after senior Palestinian official Hussein Al-Sheikh visited Washington – the first such meeting since U.S.-Palestinian ties were severed after Trump recognized Jerusalem as Israel’s capital – to meet with senior U.S. officials amid escalating tensions in the West Bank.
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