Mahmoud Abbas Visits Putin to Seek Russian Support

The leader of the Palestinian Authority has traveled to Moscow for a meeting with the President of Russia. Mahmoud Abbas is expected to seek Vladimir Putin's support on issues where there have been disagreements with the United States. Abbas was supposed to meet Putin in Sochi, but the crash of a passenger plane near Moscow caused the Russian president to remain in the capital to oversee the events. The Palestinian Authority leader arrived in Moscow on February 12. Abbas's visit comes two weeks after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's visit to Russia. Tensions arose between the Palestinian Authority and the U.S. government after Donald Trump announced the recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital. Palestinians consider East Jerusalem as the capital of their future state. The majority of the international community supports a two-state solution, proposing Palestinian independence within the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital. This part of Jerusalem was occupied by Israel at that time. When Trump recognized Jerusalem as Israel's capital, he emphasized that the 'reality' of Jerusalem as Israel's capital does not contradict the peace solution, and if both parties support the two-state solution, the U.S. will support it as well. On Sunday, February 11, the U.S. President stated in an interview with an Israeli newspaper that Palestinians are not currently seeking peace, and he is unsure if Israel is interested in peace with the Palestinians either. On the same day, Majid al-Khalili, an advisor to the Palestinian Authority leader, told the 'Times of Israel' that 'Russia and Putin can play an important role within the framework of international consensus for peace.' In addition to the issue of Jerusalem, another matter casting a shadow over U.S.-Palestinian relations is the suspension of some U.S. financial aid to Palestinians. The U.S. State Department announced in late January that Washington is currently withholding more than half of its annual aid to the United Nations agency for Palestinian assistance. A State Department spokesperson stated that Washington intends to witness 'reforms' in the Palestinian Authority before making a final decision. The Palestinian Authority ambassador stated on February 11 that the Authority does not intend to exclude the U.S. from the peace process and negotiations, 'it just wants to invite others to join (these efforts).' Russia has previously taken steps to facilitate negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians, including a proposal for direct talks between Abbas and Netanyahu in 2016, but that proposal did not lead anywhere.