Middle East Monitor / February 4, 2020
Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas said he would stop security cooperation with Israel if the US insisted on implementing the deal of the century, Arab48 reported yesterday.
“We will stop the security cooperation and will not accept US replacement of its legitimacy with the international references,” Abbas said during the meeting of his government in Ramallah.
“We want to get our full rights based on international legitimacy or Israel has to bear full responsibility as an occupying power.”
Abbas rejected US mediation in the peace process, saying: “Since Oslo in 1993, the US has not given us any positive thing. We are not nihilists. We will not retreat unless they retreat and accept negotiating on the bases of the international legitimacy.”
He continued: “We will continue our movement at all levels to counter the deal of the century and we will introduce our vision to the UN Security Council.”
“We will renew our rejection of the deal because it undermines the Palestinian rights and ignores all the international deals and the international legitimacy.”
Meanwhile, on the ground, all signs show that the security cooperation is continuous as scores of Palestinian prisoners are being held in Palestinian jails and Fatah cancelled its planned visit to Gaza to resume unity talks with Palestinian factions.
Two days ago, news reports revealed meetings between the CIA Director Gina Haspel and the chief of the PA intelligence agency Majid Faraj who gave her guarantees that security cooperation would not stop with the CIA and Israel.
Previous reports revealed meetings were held between PA and Israeli security officials preparing to crackdown on potential protests expected after the announcement of the US deal.
