The United States has upgraded the status of the PLO mission in Washington to 'delegation general.' While this still falls short of full diplomatic relations, it is similar to the PLO missions' status in Europe and Canada. The change became effective on Tuesday, July 20 (Tisha b'Av - how appropriate).Rashid Areikat, the PLO's representative to the United States, said that the decision was preceded by several consultations made over the past year between the PLO Mission and the Obama administration.I'm sure that flag will just brighten up the day in Washington.
Although not fully fledged diplomatic recognition, the upgrade raises the status of Palestinian representation in the U.S. to the same level as PLO representation in many European countries, as well as Canada.
In addition to the name change, the PLO office will now be able to fly the Palestinian flag - although there was some doubt that the organization would gain permission to hoist the Palestinian colors from its headquarters, which it shares with other tenants.
So does this mean that they no longer have to have their lease renewals approved by the State Department? That would be a shame.
