Fayyad block is petty and divisive

The US has managed to irritate Palestinians and antagonise the United Nations

Salam Fayyad, the former prime minister of the Palestinian Authority. Photo for The National by Ilan Mizrahi

Out of nowhere, the new US administration has stumbled into a new row, managing to antagonise the United Nations, irritate Palestinians and cast doubt on its judgment – all in one fell swoop.

By blocking the appointment of former Palestinian prime minister Salam Fayyad to lead the UN’s mission in Libya, the Trump administration appears to have suddenly changed its mind, embarrassing the new UN secretary-general who believed he had US approval for Mr Fayyad’s appointment.

Palestinians are naturally frustrated that Mr Fayyad has been sidelined simply for being Palestinian – although Mr Fayyad’s rivals in high political circles will be pleased.

But the worst damage that has been done is, once again, to Ameica’s reputation. There are good reasons why Mr Fayyad should be the Libyan envoy – as our columnist Hussein Ibish explains on the facing page, he has the experience and temperament – but the block goes beyond the merits of one particular candidate. It is the way the policy appears that is wrong and divisive.

Once again, the US has handed a gift to the extremists: those within Palestinian society who refuse conciliation with Israel and the United States will point to this as proof. America does not dislike what Palestinians do, they will say, it dislikes who they are. Blocking a candidate based simply on his ethnicity, despite his qualifications, is the very definition of racist.

Israel, too, is implicated: the gleeful way Israel’s UN ambassador greeted the news was petty and unstatesmanlike. Indeed, Israelis impulsively celebrating this should think harder: if appointments to the UN are so politicised, what hope is there for a qualified Israeli to be given such a post in the future?

If Mr Fayyad, one of the most capable Palestinians in government, is ostracised in this way, it will embolden those who believe the US and institutions such as the UN are inherently biased against Palestinians. The rest of the world will take note.