PLO Evicted From Its Office in Washington

WASHINGTON — The Palestine Liberation Organization has been evicted from its downtown Washington office for failure to pay rent.

Hassan Abdel Rahman, the PLO’s chief representative in Washington, on Thursday confirmed the eviction, first reported by the Jerusalem Post, and said the reasons were political.

He acknowledged that rental payments had been in arrears but said similar problems in the past had been resolved amicably with the landlord. This time, he said, the landlord would not negotiate.

He attributed the eviction to widespread sympathy for Israel in Washington.

“Pro-Israeli sentiment is making life a little bit difficult for us,” he said. The eviction is part of an effort “to isolate and shut off the Palestinian voice.” In effect, the landlord said, “No, we don’t want you,” Rahman said, adding that his aides have been looking for new quarters.

The property management company, Cushman & Wakefield, said in a statement that the PLO’s rent payments were in arrears for an extended period for the second time in less than a year, resulting in a “judgment for possession” that led to the PLO’s vacating the property April 6.