RAMALLAH, March 3 (Xinhua) -- Member of Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) Executive Committee Hanan Ashrawi on Sunday described the U.S. move to lower its diplomatic representation to the Palestinians as "undermining and hostile."
"The Trump administration is intent on leaving no room for doubt about its hostility towards the Palestinian people and their inalienable rights as well as its abject disregard for international law and its obligations under the law," she said in a statement.
Ashrawi's remarks came in response to a U.S. administration official's announcement on Saturday that the U.S. decides to lower its diplomatic representation to the Palestinians, which will come into effect Monday.
On the scheduled merging of the U.S. consulate in Jerusalem with the U.S. embassy to Israel, which was moved to Jerusalem last May, Ashrawi said the move is "an act of political assault on Palestinian rights and identity and a negation of the consulate's historic status and function, dating back nearly two hundred years."
PLO Secretary General Saeb Erekat said in a tweet that the "U.S. is pinning the last nail in its roles in the peace process," after the merger was announced.
He added "the U.S. consulate has worked for 175 years in Jerusalem and its closure has nothing to do with its performances, but with fundamentalist ideology that refuses for the Palestinian people to enjoy the rig to self determination."
In late 2017, U.S. President Donald Trump recognized Jerusalem as Israel's capital, revising a decade-long White House policy and triggering international condemnations.
Last May, the U.S. relocated its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, in a move that sparked tensions and violence in the West Bank and Gaza.
