Palestinian officials are working hard to prepare for the first meeting in the White House between Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and the new US president, Donald Trump. After an initial phone call and a high-profile Feb. 15 meeting between Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Palestinians were worried that the Trump administration was planning to bypass the legitimate Palestinian leadership. Trump's meetings with King Abdullah of Jordan and phone calls to several Arab leaders added to this concern.
The Ramallah-based leadership wasn’t too worried, because from day one the Trump administration had initiated security- and intelligence-level meetings. Majed Faraj, head of the Palestinian Intelligence service, met with US officials in Washington on Feb. 8-9; on Feb. 14, the director of the CIA, Mike Pompeo, made a surprise visit to Ramallah to meet with the Palestinian president. The meetings most likely dealt with security issues.