Palestinian Authority recalls envoy to U.S. for consultations

The Palestinian envoy to the United States has been called back to Ramallah for consultations.

The Palestinian Authority’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Riyad al-Maliki on Sunday recalled the head of the Palestine Liberation Organisation’s delegation to the U.S., Husam Zomlot, in a move believed to be a response to last month’s recognition by U.S. President Donald Trump of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.

PA officials are expected to discuss with Zomlot the United Nations’ General Assembly decision to reject Trump’s Jerusalem recognition and to discuss the way forward, the Palestinian news agency Wafa reported.

Zomlot is expected to be returned to Washington in the coming days, according to Wafa.

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas said Sunday at a rally to mark the anniversary of his Fatah movement’s founding that “Jerusalem will remain the eternal capital of the Palestinian people, despite any attempts to change its history and geography—to enable others to claim it as their own.”