The Palestinian Authority (PA) wants the US administration to pressure Israel to take real steps that pave the way for the resumption of negotiations between the two sides, including allowing elections in Jerusalem.
Palestinian sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh informed the US envoy for Israel and Palestinian affairs, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Hady Amr, that it is necessary to return the situation to pre- al-Aqsa Intifada in 2000.
Shtayyeh briefed Amr, who met him in his office Tuesday, about the PA's complicated financial situation due to the deduction of funds and decline in aid this year.
The envoy received a list of Palestinian demands that the authority considers urgent for starting a new era. They all include the restoration of powers that Israel took over after the second intifada.
The most important demands were the reopening of the Orient House, the headquarters of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) leadership between 1980 and 1990, which was suspended by Israel in 2001.
The PA also called for the restoration of the status quo at the Temple Mount regarding the Israeli police deployment, the visits of Jews to al-Aqsa Mosque, and enhancing the status of PA envoys.
Sources revealed that the US administration is preparing to reopen its consulate in East Jerusalem next September.
The Palestinian demands also include a call to end to the evacuation of Jerusalemites from their homes, the release of prisoners based on the old agreement with Israel that has not been completed, and the return of the bodies of Palestinians detained by the Israeli authorities.
The Palestinians also demanded halting settlement expansion, including in East Jerusalem, and home demolitions in the Jordan Valley.
The authority requested an amendment to the Paris Protocol to free goods imported to the West Bank from customs and the development of cellular networks in the West Bank to the fourth generation G4.
These requests, which the authority considers an Israeli commitment under the agreements and confidence-building measures, were prepared after a Palestinian-US discussion on the necessity of resuming negotiations.
The PA has long requested these demands, but Israel has not responded.
The Palestinians hope that after the election of the new Israeli government, a plan can be pushed forward, especially in light of Israeli pledges to Washington.
Amr has been on a visit to Israel and the West Bank since Sunday, meeting with Israeli and Palestinian officials and civil society activists.
According to the Israeli Embassy, Amr met with a wide range of Israeli and Palestinian civil society and private sector representatives, as well as government officials, to follow up on the recent visit of Secretary of State Blinken in May.
