Amid the impending resignation of Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, rumors have begun circulating that the Palestinian leader will annul any obligations made under the Oslo Accords and declare a “State of Palestine” under occupation.
The move is part of a grander PA diplomatic and political campaign against Israel, with the centerpiece focusing on an address by Abbas to the UN General Assembly later this month.
Ahmed Majdalani, a member of the PLO Executive Committee, explained to Haaretz that among the various resolutions and decisions up for debate among Palestinian leadership is a complete reevaluation of relations with Israel.
“Israel has blatantly violated a series of commitments to the Palestinians, starting from the Oslo Accords, which are interim agreements that were meant to lead to a state, the road map, and even the most recent understandings regarding the release of the fourth group of long-time prisoner, along with continuing construction in the settlements and the daily aggression against the Palestinian population,” he said.
“The absence of any diplomatic horizon is leading us to make decisions whose significance is that we are no longer committed to those agreements,” Majdalani added.
According to Majdalani, the proposal to annul the accords, signed in 1994, will be debated in next week’s Palestinian National Council session. Abbas is expected to announce in a speech that since Israel has not kept its side of the agreement and has blocked the formation of a “State of Palestine,” the Palestinians no longer have any obligation to abide by the same treaty.
Israeli officials remain unimpressed by Palestinian threats to renege on the Oslo Accords, the Times of Israel reported. An Israeli official, speaking on condition of anonymity, accused the PA of “brinkmanship” and stressed Israel’s commitment and willingness to resume bilateral peace negotiations.
“We view these threats with a certain amount of skepticism. The Palestinians routinely negotiate through brinkmanship. If they don’t get what they demand, they threaten to jump off the cliff,” the official said.
“The prime minister is ready for the immediate resumption of peace talks without any preconditions, but the Palestinians refuse to engage,” the official continued. “By placing unnecessary preconditions on the talks, they make the resumption of talks impossible. Then, after preventing talks from happening, they run to the international community and say no to negotiations, crisis, drastic action is required. But it’s a charade.”
“It’s time the international community refused to accept this charade and told the Palestinians that it’s time to return to talks with Israel,” he added. “It’s the only way to move forward.”
