Abbas slams US dropping ‘occupied’ in report

A spokesman for Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas has criticised a US move to no longer refer to the West Bank, Gaza Strip and Golan Heights as occupied territories in its annual human rights report.

Nabil Abu Rudeineh called it “a continuation of the hostile approach of the American administration toward our Palestinian people and... contrary to all UN resolutions.” In a statement carried by official Palestinian news agency WAFA late Wednesday, he said the change was part of US President Donald Trump’s plan to “liquidate” the Palestinian cause.

Trump is expected to unveil his long-awaited plan for Israeli-Palestinian peace in the coming months, even though the Palestinian leadership has frozen contact with Washington over Trump’s 2017 declaration of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.