Trump administration closes PLO office in Washington

National security adviser John Bolton announced Monday that the Trump administration has ordered the closure of the Palestinian diplomatic mission in Washington, D.C. He cited the Palestine Liberation Organization’s refusal to engage in direct peace talks with Israel and efforts to prompt the International Criminal Court to investigate Israel as reasons for the move.

Bolton assailed the ICC as an illegitimate court, saying, “We will not cooperate with the ICC. We will provide no assistance to the ICC. And we certainly will not join the ICC.” Bolton added that the United States would sanction ICC judges if they continue to probe alleged war crimes by U.S. troops in Afghanistan.