Office row: Palestinians announce US meeting freeze

Ramallah, Palestinian Territories: Palestinian officials announced on Tuesday they had suspended meetings with the US following a quarrel with President Donald Trump’s administration over the future of their representative office in Washington.
The announcement came on the same day the leading Palestinian political factions began talks in Cairo aimed at pushing ahead with reconciliation efforts. It was not immediately clear if the row with Washington would impact on the reconciliation talks and the suspension of meetings was not confirmed by the Americans.
Palestinian foreign minister Riyad al-Malki and other officials said they had suspended all meetings, but speaking during a visit to Spain, Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas said he remained committed to working with Trump and America to achieve a lasting peace deal.
Trump has been seeking to build confidence between the sides ahead of a fresh attempt at peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians. His envoys, including senior adviser Jared Kushner and peace negotiators Jason Greenblatt, have held dozens of meetings with Palestinians in the past year, but these could now be in jeopardy.
Vice President Mike Pence is also due to visit Israel and the Palestinian territories next month. Malki said that by deciding to close the office of the Palestine Liberation Organisation in Washington, the Americans had effectively cut off ties.