P.A. leader Mahmoud Abbas’s second in command, Fatah Vice Chairman Mahmoud Aloul, said on Monday that if the peace process remains on its current course the P.A. will cease its security cooperation with Israel and retract its recognition of the Jewish state.
“The leadership is preparing to retract its recognition of Israel and cease its security cooperation with the occupation forces,” Aloul said during an interview with the Shehab news agency on April 22.
Aloul placed the blame for the state of the peace process squarely on the United States, saying, “the American administration has decided to escalate the situation in the region following the transfer of the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem, and is actively encouraging the Israeli settlement enterprise. Now Israel is preparing to annex parts of the West Bank.”
“Because of these events,” he continued, “the status quo upon which the relationship [between Israel and the P.A.] is based may soon disappear. The [P.A] leadership is expected to announce that we will not accept the continuation of the situation and will announce drastic measures soon.”
According to Aloul, these measures were being planned by Abbas in cooperation with other Muslim nations, among them Turkey. Aloul noted that Abbas plans to meet soon with the leaders of Muslim and African countries in order to gain support for his upcoming moves.
This article first appeared on Israel Hayom.
Translated by JNS staff.
