"The US administration, flaunting the closure of the PLO office in Washington, tried to influence the Palestinian administration, which manifests the impact of the Jewish lobby in the United States and the role of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu… The US administration realized the gravity of the position of Palestine, which decided to break off relations and contacts with the United States, which emanated from the Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' decision," the source said.
In 2015, the US congress adopted a bill stipulating that Palestine loses the right to have a representative office in the US capital if it supports the ICC investigations into Israelis' crimes against Palestinians.
Relations between Israel and Palestine have been shattered for decades. Palestinians seek diplomatic recognition for their independent state on the territories of the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, which is partially occupied by Israel, along with the Gaza Strip. The Israeli government refuses to recognize Palestine as an independent political and diplomatic entity, building Israeli settlements and dismantling the Palestinian property in the occupied areas, despite objections from the United Nations.
