TUNIS, December 13, 2017 (WAFA) – The delegation from the Palestinian Agency for International Cooperation (PICA) withdrew on Wednesday from the conference hall in Tunis which hosted the meeting of the international cooperation agencies before a speech by the director of the US Agency for International Development (USAID), according to a Foreign Ministry statement.

PICA director, Imad Zuhairi, said the withdrawal came as message of condemnation and rejection of US President Donald Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.

He said it was not possible for the Palestinian delegation to stay in the hall and listen to the speech of the American delegate in spite of the nature of the conference.

“The continued denial by the US administration of the rights of our people requires a halt to dealing with it,” he said.

The delegation returned to the meeting after the American official left the conference hall at the end of his speech.

M.K.