Palestinians Urge Abbas Not to Meet With Biden Due to Biased US Policy, Ex-Official Says

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - The vast majority of Palestinians oppose their current leader Mahmoud Abbas planned meeting with US President Joe Biden because of the United States’ biased policy toward them, Palestinian National Initiative Secretary-General Mustafa Barghouti told Sputnik on Thursday.

“We understand that it is useless to meet with Mr. Biden,” Barghouti, who also served as Information Minister in the Unity Government, said. “What we need is self-reliance, unity and unity around joint strategy for Palestinian struggle and to achieve our freedom.”

Barghouti said Palestinians consider it insulting for Biden to allot them 40 minutes of his time to address their plight while allotting three days to the Israelis.

“It is absolutely insulting to Palestinians to try to marginalize our issue in this manner,” Barghouti said. “Mr. Biden loves Israel. His whole policy is dictated by Israel so let him meet the Israelis. Why should we meet with him so that he would use that as a cover for his efforts to liquidate our rights.”

Biden is visiting the Middle East for the first time in the role as US president. The trip covers Israel, including the West Bank, and Saudi Arabia and will last through July 16. The US president is scheduled to meet Israel Prime Minister Yair Lapid, United Arab Emirates President Mohammed bin Zayed and Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas.

Barghouti said the Palestinians are perceiving complete and total US bias toward Israel, and saw in the US statement an attempt to deny the Palestinian people their rights to self-determination and freedom.

“What we saw is an effort by the US President and Israel to prevent us from having the right to resist for our rights and our freedom,” he said. “What we saw is an effort to liquidate the Palestinian issue and to have normalization with the Arab countries at the expense of the Palestinian people. They are trying to marginalize Palestine and we will not allow that."

On Wednesday, the Palestinian movement Hamas said that it considers the Biden’s visit to Israel to be a sign of the United States’ support for the Israeli occupation of Palestinian National Authority.

Hamas said Biden's visit also serves as an endorsement for Israel in what it calls an aggression against our Palestinian people and land, and a denial of the Palestinian people's legitimate rights to freedom and independence.