The head of the Palestinian Authority, Mahmoud Abbas, has repeatedly warned Israel that he will tear up any bilateral agreements with the Jewish state if Tel Aviv attempts to further extend its sovereignty over parts of the West Bank, a possibility left open by Israel’s new unity government.
The Palestinians decided to terminate all agreements with Israel and the US amid the Jewish state’s intentions to extend its sovereignty over “the Palestinian lands”, the Head of the Palestinian Authority Mahmoud Abbas stated Tuesday.
“The Palestine Liberation Organization and the Palestinian State today has discharged all obligations under all agreements with the governments of the United States and Israel, including those related to security”, Abbas said to Al Jazeera TV channel.
The Palestinian leader called on Israel to bear full responsibility to the international community from now on as an “occupying force in the occupied territory of Palestine.”
He also insisted on the “accession of the State of Palestine to international organizations and institutions, in which we are not yet included”.
The move takes place amid Israeli plans to extend its sovereignty over parts of the West Bank, an intention that was backed by Washington and strongly condemned by the Palestinians.
Abbas slammed the US position, accusing the White House of “injustice towards the Palestinian people”.
“We hold the United States fully responsible for the injustice towards the Palestinian people, we consider them the main partner of the occupying Israeli government in all its hostile decisions”, Abbas stressed during his speech.
The Israeli unity government newly formed by Benjamin Netanyahu and Benny Gantz revealed plans to extend the sovereignty over the parts of West Bank by as early as 1 July based on the “peace plan” proposed by the US President Donald Trump. Palestinian Ambassador to Moscow Abdel Hafiz Nofal labeled this move as efforts by Israel and the US “to use the difficult epidemiological situation to realize their occupation plans”, referring to the ongoing COVID-19 global pandemic.
Trump’s plan for Israel and the Palestinians was introduced in January and received harsh criticism from Abbas. In particular, it envisaged the extension of Israeli sovereignty over the West Bank and Jordan Valley, admitting Jerusalem as an undivided capital of Israel and suggesting independence to the Palestinians in exchange for demilitarization.
