The US asked Oman to “let go of the Palestinian issue”, rejecting any Omani role in the political process, according to Secretary general of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) Saeb Erekat.
"The Sultanate is not and will not be part of the deal of the century. It has tried to open up prospects for a peace process leading to ending the occupation and establishing an independent Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital," Erekat said during a session of the Amman Security Forum in Jordan’s University.
US President Donald Trump’s administration supported the Israeli government in its response to the attempt of Oman.
The statements have raised doubts about Oman's ability to achieve a breakthrough in the peace process without US approval.
Erekat's speech comes after Jordan’s King Abdullah received Omani Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Yousef Bin Alawi, who delivered a letter from Sultan Qaboos of Oman, according to a Royal Court statement. The meeting focused on ongoing coordination and consultation over issues of mutual interest.
They also discussed developments in the Palestinian cause, reiterating the need to relaunch peace negotiations between Palestinians and Israelis based on the two-state solution, to establish an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital.
The statement read: “The meeting touched on the Palestinian cause and the need to relaunch Palestinian-Israeli peace negotiations based on the two-state solution and the Arab Peace Initiative, leading to the establishment of an independent Palestinian state on the 4 June 1967 lines with East Jerusalem as its capital.”
Omani officials are trying to bring the views closer to launch a new peace process based on the US peace plan.
Bin Alawi has said earlier his country is offering proposals to help Israel and the Palestinians come together but is not acting as mediator, adding that Oman is relying on the US and Trump in working towards the “deal of the century”.
Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas opposes the deal, rejecting the United States to be the sole mediator in the peace process after it recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. Abbas called for the launch of an international peace conference resulting in a mechanism to sponsor the negotiations according to specific terms and a set time limit.
Abbas has repeatedly said he will not even listen to the deal of the century because Washington has begun to implement it effectively by taking Jerusalem off the negotiating table and ending the refugee issue.
Erekat accused Trump of targeting Palestinians, asserting that “no one aspires to achieve peace more than Palestine, and there are accusations from Trump that we are the ones who started the problems."
He indicated that the Trump administration has isolated itself from the peace process and can not be accepted as a partner or mediator because it rejects the right to self-determination of the Palestinian people and supports the racist nationalism law.
He also listed some of US measures against Palestinians, such as closing the offices of Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) in Washington, cutting aid to UNRWA, and separating the Gaza Strip from the West Bank and Jerusalem.
Erekat called on the international community to adopt the initiative presented by Abbas at the UN Security Council last February, to hold an international conference based on the international law and the relevant resolutions of international legitimacy which guarantees to end the occupation and achieving the independence of the State of Palestine with its capital East Jerusalem.
