Search

Trump envoy Jason Greenblatt schools PLO’s Hanan Ashrawi in series of Tweets

Top Trump adviser Jason Greenblatt issued a stern rebuke to the Palestinians after the PLO’s Hanan Ashrawi accused the U.S. of having “zero credibility” as a broker in the Mideast peace process.

By World Israel News Staff

“Let’s be honest,” tweeted U.S. President Donald Trump’s top envoy to the Middle East, Jason Greenblatt, “[and] not pretend recent U.S. decisions are the cause of the current situation [between Israel and the Palestinians] which has existed for decades.”

Greenblatt took to social media on Sunday to respond to comments made by PLO official Hanan Ashrawi about the as-yet unreleased U.S. peace plan. In her comments, Ashrawi both denied the veracity of recent leaks purporting to reveal the plan’s key features, while claiming the “U.S. administration has zero credibility.”

In reality, Greenblatt himself appeared on Israeli television to deny the credibility of the leaks, which claimed that Trump’s deal-of-the-century would require Israel to relinquish eastern portions of Jerusalem and cede up to 90 percent of Judea and Samaria to the Palestinians

Greenblatt responded to Ashrawi, “You may dislike our policies & decisions, but to say we have ‘zero credibility’ is simply not factual. [Trump] has kept his commitments, such as recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and moving our Embassy to Jerusalem.”

He continued, “Which do you think gives someone credibility — working to try to achieve peace or merely making political statements, which leads to nothing? You’re entitled to criticize our policies. But let’s not ignore the huge disservice being done to the Palestinians by refusing to engage.

“Peace is worth pursuing and we are committed to trying. You and other leaders can also work hard and see if it can be done. Or you can all continue to prevent the many significant benefits of peace by refusing to engage. The ball is in your court. Time to be credible leaders.”

In addition to raising the issue of Israel-Palestinian negotiations, Greenblatt also addressed “the continued deep-seated division” and “hatred/competition” between Palestinian factions, with the Hamas terror group in Gaza and the Palestinian Authority in Judea and Samaria constantly at each others’ throats.

“At the very least, the Palestinian leadership owes it to its people to review our proposal and see if negotiations can achieve something good for both sides and help the Palestinians. Nothing else will help them. Again, the choice is up to the Palestinian leadership. Keep trying to see what might be possible or just keep blaming others and ignoring the truth. I want to keep trying. What about you?” Greenblatt asked.