RAMALLAH, Saturday, July 20, 2019 (WAFA) - The Palestinian Journalists‘ Syndicate (PJS) reasserted last night its position that opposes any meetings between Palestinian journalists and officials from the administration of US President Donald Trump.

It said in a statement reiterating an earlier similar position that it was following closely attempts by the US embassy in Israel to invite Palestinian journalists for meetings with US officials, including Jarod Kushner, senior advisor to Trump and his son-in-law and author of the so-called Deal of the Century, strongly opposed by the Palestinians for being overly biased toward Israel.

The PJS said it was proud of the journalists and media organizations that had previously refused to respond to invitations by the White House for meetings. It said it was “confident of the failure of the new call to meet Kushner or other promoters of the Trump deal,” saying that the purpose behind these invitations is to “disseminate venom and false rumors, and to deceive Palestinian public opinion.”

It called on all journalists to abide by the position of the syndicate and the national consensus on this matter that calls for boycott of any meeting with members of the current US administration who have adopted the Israeli position from the occupied Palestinian territories and who refuse to recognize any of the Palestinian national rights.

The syndicate said the Trump administration, which has appointed an official and opened a department to follow up on the Palestinian media and public opinion, has begun inviting journalists, focusing on the young ones, for a tour of the United States and meetings with officials in November.

It said all invitations were rejected, applauding the journalists for not falling for the US trap.

M.K.