Chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat has blamed Assistant to the US President Jason Greenblatt for taking Israel's side and justifying Tel Aviv's crimes against peaceful Palestinian protesters near Gaza, according to Haaretz. Greenblatt also serves as Donald Trump's Special Representative for International Negotiations.
"Greenblatt adopted the position of the official spokesman of the Israeli army, calling on the demonstrators not to approach the border fence. Instead of demanding that the occupation authorities stop their ongoing crimes against Palestinian people," Erekat said in a letter to foreign diplomats.
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Pointing the finger at Greenblatt, Erekat said that "the US envoy did not hesitate to directly blame the Palestinian civilians, defending the occupation authorities and massacres committed in all occupied land of Palestine."
His remarks came amid reports about new clashes between Palestinian protesters and Israeli servicemen near Israel's border with Gaza, in which at least eight Palestinians have been wounded.
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Violence may exacerbate further later on Monday, when many protesters come back from Friday's Muslim midday prayers to say "no" to the Israeli police as part of the six-week protest campaign, dubbed the Great March of Return.
The Great March of Return campaign was initiated by Palestine's Islamic movement Hamas, which said that the Palestinians are peacefully upholding their right to return to the territories they claim were illegally seized by Israel, while Tel Aviv insists that Palestinians should only settle in Gaza and the West Bank.
The campaign, which was launched on March 30, is expected to continue until May 15.
