On Saturday, Joe Biden was elected the 46th President of the United States. In light of that, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas called on Biden to strengthen Palestinian-American relations.
In a congratulatory statement, Abbas urged President-elect Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris to “strengthen the Palestinian-American relationship” and to strive for “peace, stability, and security” in the Middle East.
This call has reportedly been accompanied by an indication of readiness to resume peace talks with Israel within the two-states frame, but only under the terms put on the table during former US President Barack Obama’s administration.
An unnamed official in Abbas’s office was quoted as saying that the Palestinian Authority has sent messages to Biden affirming this position.
The same official said that Abbas will ask the US President-elect to retransfer the US Embassy to where it had been, in Tel Aviv, before current President Donald Trump moved it to Jerusalem.
On that note, the Palestinian leader will also urge Biden to reverse Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, according to the unnamed official.
According to Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh, “Abbas is ready for immediate engagement when there is a partner and a serious process with clear terms of reference.”
“We look forward to constructive bilateral US-Palestinian relations towards achieving a just and lasting peace within the frame of the two states and ending the Israeli occupation,” he added in a tweet.
The election of Joe Biden is expected to result in notable changes in the Middle East, and to bring back the Obama era of foreign policy in the region – or, at least, something similar to it.