Anti-US op-ed in PA daily against US embassy conference in Ramallah
Excerpt of op-ed by Omar Hilmi Al-Ghoul, regular columnist for the official PA daily
Headline: “No to the [US] embassy’s blatant intervention”
“The US has never stopped simultaneously filling the roles of the world’s policeman and bully, even before the rise of [US President] Donald Trump…
As a continuation of its mafia-esque, unethical, illegal, and domineering role, the US embassy in colonialist Israel sent invitations to a conference in Ramallah… in order ‘to discuss the situation of the young people in the Palestinian territories.’ This is an insolent, illogical, and illegal invitation that deviates from all diplomatic standards…
The affairs and concerns of the young Palestinians are national affairs relevant to the PLO Executive Committee and its legal [PA] government led by [PA Prime Minister] Dr. Muhammad Shtayyeh…
However, it is forbidden and unacceptable… that anyone – whether states or NGOs – intervene in internal affairs, except as the law permits. Palestinian law does not permit any foreign state to harm the status, honor, and areas of responsibility of the official institutions…
The Palestinian leadership and the [Palestinian] National [and Islamic] Forces in the Ramallah and El-Bireh district did well in going out against the destructive plan of the conference that was meant to be held today [Aug. 21, 2019].”
Palestinian National and Islamic Forces - an unaffiliated coordinating body comprised of representatives from factions in the PLO and outside the PLO. The Palestinian National and Islamic Forces were established in 2000 shortly after the start of the PA terror campaign (the second Intifada, 2000-2005), under the authorization of Yasser Arafat and the leadership of terrorist Marwan Barghouti. During the PA terror campaign it played an active role in coordinating political efforts and terror attacks against Israel, but since the end of the campaign it has been less significant and its activity is primarily centered in Gaza.