The Palestinian leadership on Wednesday briefly congratulated Joe Biden on his inauguration, but its main focus was hailing the departure of “bully” Donald Trump.
While Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas congratulated Biden with a terse statement saying he looked forward to “working together for peace and stability,” his top diplomats barely addressed the new president.
Palestinian Authority Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki described Trump as “nothing but bad news for the Palestinians” and said he was looking forward to “not wak[ing] up every morning expecting the worst.”
He added he was glad to see the end of Trump and his “Zionist sympathist advisors — who worked in the interest of Israel and used their positions to do what others were unable to do.”
Biden has indicated that he would reopen the Palestinian mission in Washington, after Trump had it shuttered in 2018, expelling the Palestinian Ambassador to the U.S., Hussam Zomlot.
Zomlot on Wednesday celebrated “standing tall against the bully.”
“Trump left the White House. We, the Palestinian people, its leadership, my wife & children who were removed from the U.S. because of Trump, have reason to celebrate. We stood tall & immune against [the] bully. We stay standing until there is freedom, justice & equality for the Palestinian people,” Zomlot said.
Meanwhile, the Gaza-ruling Hamas terror group described Trump as the “greatest sponsor of violence and extremism.”
“There is little regret over Trump’s departure from the American government, as he is the greatest sponsor of injustice, violence and extremism in the world, and the direct partner of the Israeli occupation,” Hamas spokesperson Fawzi Barhum said.
He called on Biden to “correct the historical course of wrong and unjust American policies towards our people” and to respect “the Palestinian people and their democratic choices.” Elections have not been held in the Gaza Strip since 2006.
Meanwhile, in the West Bank, Abbas’ tenure as president ended in 2009 and elections have not been held there either, despite repeated promises to do so.