The Palestinian leadership started a diplomatic campaign to promote stances at the U.S. Congress before Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visits Washington this week, official Palestinian news agency reported Tuesday.
The campaign aims to respond to calls by members of the U.S. Congress to boycott the Palestinian National Authority after President Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah party signed a reconciliation agreement with Islamic Hamas movement.
The PLO's mission in Washington "intensified its activities" before Netanyahu arrives in Washington where he is slated to meet U.S. President Barack Obama Friday, the report said.
The report said that Maan Erekat, head of the Palestinian mission in Washington, told assistants of U.S. senators and congressmen that the national reconciliation provides an opportunity to settle Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
He also warned that earlier threats by some U.S. legislators to cut aid to the PNA will leave "negative effects that would be reflected on the United States and the Middle East region."
The Egyptian-brokered Palestinian agreement enables Hamas, the Islamic movement that controls Gaza and doesn't recognize Israel, to enter in alliance with Fatah, which holds sway in the West Bank and rules the territory with a government supported by the West.
The agreement also ends political split between Gaza and the West Bank, widened when Hamas routed pro-Abbas forces and took over the Gaza Strip in 2007.
The agreement came as peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians have been derailed due to difference on the construction of Jewish settlements in Palestinian territories.
Last year, the Obama administration brokered negotiations between the two sides, but the talks stopped quickly after Israel allowed a partial moratorium on construction in the West Bank to expire.
Netanyahu will talk with Obama the Palestinian decision to seek recognition of their state from the United Nations as a response to the failure of the negotiations, according to Israeli media.
Israel and the United States say that the Palestinian state must come through a negotiated settlement and consider that asking the UN to endorse the statehood as a unilateral step.
Meanwhile, a Palestinian official denied reports that the Palestinian leadership offered to resume peace talks if Israel froze settlement building for three months.
"Our firm position is that we are ready to return to the negotiations, but only when Israel stops the settlement building completely and comprehensively in the time of the negotiations, regardless how much time the talks are going to take," said Saeb Erekat, the head of negotiations affairs department at the PLO.
"If Israel met these obligations, we will not need to go to the UN," he explained.
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