Biden sent letter to Palestinian president over 'current situations'
By Laura Kelly - 05/11/21 04:54 PM EDT
President Biden sent a letter to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, a National Security Council (NSC) spokesperson confirmed to Hill on Tuesday, amid an outbreak of fierce military conflict between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
The letter was sent as a response to earlier correspondence from Abbas congratulating Biden on his win, the spokesperson said, but declined to share details of the letter.
The correspondence is part of the administrations "ongoing outreach with the Palestinian leadership on a range of issues of mutual interest, including ongoing efforts to de-escalate violence and restore calm," the spokesperson continued. The letter was delivered by George Noll, the Palestinian Affairs Unit Chief at the U.S. embassy in Israel.
The press agency for the Palestinian Authority, the representative body for Palestinians in the West Bank, also announced in a post that Biden had sent Abbas a letter.
"President Mahmoud Abbas received today a letter from US President Joe Biden. The letter dealt with the latest political developments, current situations, and bilateral relations between the United States and the State of Palestine," WAFA News Agency, the media wing for the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank, published on their website.
The announcement of the letter came around 9:30 a.m. local time Tuesday in Ramallah, the seat of the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank.
News of the letter came as conflict between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip escalated dramatically throughout the day Tuesday, prompting condemnation from the Biden administration over Hamas's indiscriminate firing of hundreds of rockets into Israel, with a number of Israeli civilian casualties, injuries and damage.
The administration also spoke out against the loss of Palestinian civilians in Gaza caught up in retaliatory Israeli strikes.
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https://thehill.com/policy/international/middle-east-north-africa/552966-biden-sent-letter-to-palestinian-president
