The Palestinian Authority says it will not abandon its principles following the U.S. decision to close the Palestinian Liberation Organization's office in Washington, ABC News reported on Monday.

The spokesman for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, Nabil Abu Rdeneh, says the Palestinian Authority will maintain its "commitment to the resolutions of international legitimacy," according to a written statement released Monday.

Rdeneh says key issues, including the status of Palestinian refugees, "are more important than the relationship with the United States."

The State Department on Monday announced the closure of the Palestinian diplomatic mission in Washington, saying the decision was made because no "direct and meaningful negotiations with Israel" are under way despite previous warnings.

The move is likely to harden Palestinian resistance to the U.S. role as a peace broker.

The United States is pledging to use "any means necessary" to protect American citizens and allies from International Criminal Court prosecution.

President Donald Trump's national security adviser, John Bolton, says the court is "illegitimate" and "for all intents and purposes, the ICC is already dead to us."

Bolton delivered his remarks Monday to the conservative Federalist Society in Washington.

(Source: abcnews)