Wednesday, May 13, 2020

Fatah warns of violence if Israel applies sovereignty

Hussein Hamil, the official spokesman for the Fatah movement headed by Palestinian Authority (PA) chairman Mahmoud Abbas, warned on Tuesday that if Israel annexes territories in Judea and Samaria and the Jordan Valley, it would lead to a cycle of violence in Israel and in the region that would not easily end, given the Palestinian outrage over the US “Deal of the Century”.
 
Hamil said in a statement that the Palestinian people would act against Israel's "extreme plans" and thwart their implementation.
 
He called on the international community to take action against Israel and to defend international law which, he claimed, is violated by the current US administration.
Hamil also called on all Palestinian organizations, and especially the Hamas movement, to unite in the face of the danger that lies ahead of the Palestinians and their basic principles and to declare national unity.
 
Senior Palestinian Arab officials have repeatedly warned of the "serious" consequences that an Israeli move to apply sovereignty over Judea and Samaria will have.
 
PA chairman Mahmoud Abbas has threatened to cancel all agreements that were signed with Israel if it announces its intention to implement the move.
 
The PA’s outrage stems from the coalition agreement between Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and Blue and White chairman Benny Gantz, which states that the government could apply sovereignty to parts of Judea and Samaria this coming July.
 
The PA is also angry over the fact that the United States appears to be backing the move. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo indicated recently that application of sovereignty was ultimately "an Israeli decision."