Senior Palestinian and Israeli officials are to meet in Jerusalem on Sunday, an official said, the first high-level talks since US President Donald Trump’s controversial recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.
Palestinian prime minister Rami Hamdallah and Israeli Finance Minister Moshe Kahlon will convene in Kahlon’s Jerusalem office, an Israeli official told AFP on Tuesday without providing further details.
Hamdallah and Kahlon meet regularly to discuss economic and infrastructure issues. Their last talks took place on October 30.
The Sunday meeting will be the first since Trump pledged on December 6 to move the American embassy in Israel to Jerusalem, breaking with the policies of his predecessors.
Outraged Palestinian leaders said the US could no longer play the role of peace broker and called for the suspension of their recognition of Israel, a move that has not been implemented.
The United States meanwhile withheld $65 million of funds earmarked for the UN relief agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA.
Palestinian officials did not confirm the Israeli report on the meeting.
Hamdallah is heading for Brussels for an “emergency” meeting Wednesday of the Ad Hoc Liaison Committee, which coordinates international donor support for the Palestinians.
The Palestinian premier will raise the issue of the financial crisis facing his government and seek funding for Gaza, a government statement said.
