US election: Palestine hopes next president breaks cycle, acts for peace

By Beyza Binnur Donmez

GENEVA (AA) – Palestine’s permanent representative to the UN in New York shared his perspectives on the upcoming US presidential election, emphasizing that the Palestinian Authority does not interfere in the internal affairs of other countries but is hoping for a change in the current policy towards Palestine.

However, Riyad Mansour, who was in Geneva, Switzerland for the UN International Media Seminar on Peace in the Middle East 2024, told Anadolu in an interview that previous experiences with former US President Donald Trump were challenging and expressed disappointment over unmet promises from President Joe Biden.

"Well, first of all, we do not interfere in elections of countries. That is an issue for the people in these countries to make that determination. But for us, we know the experience that we had with former President Trump. It was not a pleasant experience," Mansour said.

"We don’t know if he wins what he will do." he said. "We were hoping that President (Joe) Biden would fulfill the promises that he made before the election. But things did not evolve in the direction to our desire."

"Some of the things happened that he promised and he fulfilled, and others have not," he stressed.

Regarding the Democratic ticket, the envoy pointed to Vice President Kamala Harris as a fresh figure within the Democratic Party. He acknowledged that Harris is not deeply engaged with Palestinian issues but expressed hope for any future US administration to commit to a just resolution for Palestine.

“Vice President Kamala Harris is a new face, is a young leader from the Democratic Party. She is not dwelling much on issues related to us, and we will be in a position to deal with whoever wins the election," he said.

In a press briefing with the Association of the Accredited Correspondents to the United Nations (ACANU) in Geneva on Friday, Mansour said: "We are hopeful that maybe, if she wins, she will be more receptive to look at the global picture and to play a very determined and active role in the American policy that has been in place for a long period of time of a two-state solution."

"And if she wins, and she wants to move in that direction, to begin the process of saying enough is enough, and the way to avoid the repetition of these vicious wars against the Palestinian people and threatening Israel itself," he told the briefing.

He reiterated that Palestine "will not hesitate to engage in very honest, frank and open discussions with any administration that comes to power."

- Challenges ahead for palestine

Regarding Palestine's expectations for the next administration, he told Anadolu: "We hope that whoever is going to be in the White House after this massive tragedy against the Palestinian people, especially in the Gaza Strip, does not go back to business as usual but moves in the direction of ending this illegal occupation, as articulated by the International Court of Justice, as quickly as possible."

He stressed the importance of advancing a two-state solution and creating a path to peace, "to begin the implementation of the global consensus on the two-state solution, meaning the end of the occupation, the independence of the State of Palestine with East Jerusalem as the capital, so that we can see the reality of the two-state solution on the ground, to give people hope that peace is the option—not killing people, but saving lives."

Addressing recent US actions in the UN Security Council, he acknowledged both American support and limitations.

"It is true that they vetoed some draft resolution, but it was also true that they brought the content of Resolution 2735 in the Security Council," he said, referring to a resolution Biden proposed.

"But we don’t see the implementation, and we believe that the Prime Minister of Israel (Benjamin Netanyahu) is the main responsible person for not implementing that resolution.”

On June 10, the UN Security Council adopted Resolution 2735, which backed a three-phase plan for Gaza, "including an immediate, full and complete cease-fire, the release of hostages and the exchange of the Palestinian prisoners as well as immediate and unimpeded humanitarian access to the civilian population."

The envoy criticized Netanyahu’s stance, alleging that he may be delaying any peace efforts until after the US elections, saying: "He is dragging his feet until the American elections. I believe also that he is promoting President Trump to win the election, and then we will see what happens after."

- Hopes for future administration

On efforts toward unity among Palestinian factions, he noted recent steps toward reconciliation.

“There were many meetings. The last meeting was in Cairo, just about a week ago or 10 days ago. It is our duty to put our house in order and to accomplish national unity.

"We are working on it. We will continue working on it until we accomplish it," he underlined.

US Election Day -- including both presidential and congressional elections -- is set for Tuesday, Nov. 5.