Washington regrets the decision by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas not to meet with US Vice President Mike Pence during his upcoming visit to the region. “It’s unfortunate that the Palestinian Authority is walking away, again, from an opportunity to discuss the future of the region, but the Administration remains undeterred in its efforts to help achieve peace between Israelis and Palestinians and our peace team remains hard at work putting together a plan,” Alyssa Farah, the vice president’s press secretary said on Twitter. On Saturday, Abbas’ diplomatic adviser, Majdi Khaldi, revealed that Abbas wouldn’t meet Pence “because the US has crossed red lines” on Jerusalem. Despite repeated warnings by global and regional powers, Trump declared Jerusalem the capital of Israel on December 6, triggering a strong backlash and widespread condemnation. Following the announcement, massive anti-American rallies erupted across the region, leaving some Palestinians dead, and hundreds others injured in clashes with Israeli security forces.
