The United States is in talks with the Palestinian Authority about boosting what has been a strained bilateral relationship, as Washington seeks Ramallah’s cooperation to advance its landmark policy initiatives in the region, three government officials familiar with the matter told The Times of Israel.

US President Donald Trump’s administration is working to transfer billions of dollars in PA revenues currently withheld by Israel to the underfunded Board of Peace, which Washington established to actualize its 20-point plan for ending the war in Gaza and rebuilding the enclave. That plan envisions the PA taking over governance in the Gaza Strip after it has carried out comprehensive reforms.

A PA official told The Times of Israel that Saudi Arabia is helping Ramallah with the reform process, which Riyadh views as essential for establishing a pathway to the establishment of a Palestinian state.

The Trump administration has embraced the Saudi effort, viewing it as complementary to its bid to expand the Abraham Accords, as Riyadh has expressed willingness to normalize relations with Israel if an “irreversible pathway” to a Palestinian state has been created, a US official said.

Against this backdrop, the US has been engaging in talks with the PA for several months, which Ramallah hopes will lead to the “normalization” of its strained relationship with the Trump administration, a Middle East intelligence official said, claiming that Washington has largely ignored the PA as it tends to view the Palestinian issue with a focus on Gaza, with the West Bank more of an afterthought.

Under discussion has been a memorandum of understanding in which the sides recommit to Trump’s 20-point plan, particularly the last two points embracing Palestinian self-determination and the launching of US-led peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians, once the redevelopment of Gaza and the reform of the PA have moved ahead.

The MOU would also see the PA commit to specific benchmarks for Saudi-chaperoned reforms of its welfare and education systems, as well as a plan to combat incitement, the three officials said.

It would include the US expressing readiness to lift sanctions against the PA once the reforms have been verifiably completed, with Ramallah hoping the MOU would include a reference to the potential reopening of the Palestine Liberation Organization’s diplomatic mission in Washington, according to the Palestinian official.

Trump shuttered the de facto Palestinian embassy in DC during his first term over Ramallah’s refusal to cooperate with the US peace initiative, which the PA viewed as overwhelmingly tilted in favor of Israel.

The US is considering reviving that 2020 peace plan after Israeli elections in the fall and is hoping that the PA’s weakened position will force it to reconsider the proposal, the Mideast intelligence official said.

In the meantime, the US is seeking a Palestinian commitment to halt efforts to internationalize the conflict against Israel and to withdraw cases against Jerusalem in international legal forums, the American official said, adding that the PA in turn asked for a line in the MOU on halting Israeli settlement expansion and cracking down on rampant settler........

© The Times of Israel