Palestinian officials said on Wednesday they are planning to step up their efforts to thwart Israel’s intention to apply sovereignty to parts of the West Bank, now that the Palestinians have “successfully” prevented the spread of the coronavirus. Some officials expressed hope massive international pressure would force Israel to backtrack on its “unilateral” move. “There’s room for optimism,” a senior Palestinian official in Ramallah told The Jerusalem Post. “There’s a feeling that most of the world stands with us on the issue of annexation.” The official was speaking as members of the PLO Executive Committee held further discussions in Ramallah to discuss ways of foiling the “annexation” plan. Prior to the meeting, PLO Secretary-General Saeb Erekat said the Palestinian leadership was holding marathon discussions and intensive contacts with several countries to brief them on the “dangers” of the Israeli plan. “There is no possibility for the American and Israeli sides to back away from the annexation plan unless there’s an international coalition that would say ‘no’ to Israel,” Erekat told the Palestinian Authority Voice of Palestine radio station. “Everyone should take matters seriously in light of [Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu’s insistence on implementing the annexation and settlement plan.”
After the discussions in Ramallah, the PLO Executive Committee “confirmed” PA President Mahmoud Abbas’s recent announcement on renouncing all agreements and understandings with Israel and the US. The committee said that the Palestinians will continue to work in the international arena to urge countries to take “punitive measures” against settlements and their products. The Palestinians will also continue to “pursue Israeli officials for war crimes and crimes against humanity, including the crimes of settlement, annexation and assaults on Christian and Islamic religious sites,” the committee added, calling on Arab states to review their relations with the US administration and Israel in light of the “annexation” plan. In a separate statement on the 56th anniversary of its founding, the PLO called on Palestinians to “stand in the face of the plots that aim to liquidate the Palestinian cause” and pass US President Donald Trump’s plan for Mideast peace, also known as the Deal of the Century, as well as the “annexation announcement.” The PLO reaffirmed its previous decisions to “end all agreements and understandings” with Israel, including security coordination between the PA security forces and the IDF, as well as the termination of security agreements with the US administration. The PLO emphasized the “right of our people to continue its struggle” and called of “escalating popular resistance in order to defeat and end the occupation and achieve national independence of the State of Palestine on the 1967 borders.” The PLO also called for setting up mechanisms for the transition of the PA to a state. As part of the Palestinian diplomatic offensive to prevent Israel from applying sovereignty to parts of the West Bank, PA Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh met on Wednesday with Arab envoys to the PA. Shtayyeh told the Arab diplomats the Palestinians were serious about terminating the agreements with Israel. “We have translated [the decision] on the ground by stopping coordination at all levels with the Israeli side,” he said. “Israel has initiated several measures in response to our decision and is trying hard to undermine the work of the Palestinian Authority.” Shtayyeh warned that the Israeli “annexation” plan, if implemented, would pose a threat to regional security.” He also praised international and Arab rejection of the plan and called for “more serious stances to prevent Israel from implementing its annexation decision.”
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