Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said Tuesday that the Palestinian Authority considers itself free of all agreements and understandings with both Israel and the U.S. — including on security matters — because of Israel's annexation plans.
Why it matters: Abbas appears now to be following through on a drastic threat he had made previously, though it remains to be seen if and how his statement will be implemented.
Abbas' remarks came in a speech at an emergency meeting of the Palestinian leadership to discuss the new Israeli government’s plans to annex parts of the West Bank.
- Abbas said that, as the occupying power, Israel should now take the responsibility over the West Bank.
- Abbas stressed that the Israeli plan to move ahead on annexation is a unilateral cancellation of the Oslo Accords, signed in the 1990s.
- Abbas said the Trump administration was responsible for the crisis, and “has become complicit in the Israeli occupation." He praised “other American stakeholders” that are more supportive of the Palestinians.
- Abbas called on all the countries who are opposed to annexation and Trump's peace plan to recognize Palestine as a state.
The backdrop: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said during his swearing-in ceremony on Sunday that now is the time for Israel to annex its settlements in the West Bank.
- Israel's ambassador to the U.S., Ron Dermer, has been lobbying Trump administration officials to offer a green light on annexation before November's election, fearing the window of opportunity will close if Joe Biden wins.
