State Department: U.S. Wants PLO’s Washington Office to Stay Open 

The U.S. wants the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) to keep its Washington office open and is in talks with Palestinian officials about the issue despite a U.S. decision that could trigger its closure, the State Department said on Tuesday, Reuters reports.

“We’d like for them to be able to keep it open,” Spokeswoman Heather Nauert said Tuesday.

A State Department official on Shabbos had said that under U.S. law, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson could not renew a certification for the PLO office to operate after Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas called on the International Criminal Court in September to prosecute Israelis for alleged crimes against Palestinians.