Middle East Monitor / March 24, 2021
The Palestinian Authority (PA) said yesterday that peace can only be achieved through talks with it, a statement issued by the PA Foreign Ministry said.
This came after remarks made by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during an interview with Israel’s Arabic news network Panet, addressing Arab voters in Israel.
He said that peace with the Palestinians could be achieved after the normalisation of ties with the Arab states, adding that he does not see a possible creation of a sovereign Palestinian state.
“This way, Netanyahu is turning the table up-side-down regarding the Arab Peace Initiative,” the statement, which was issued by the PA Foreign Ministry, said.
Netanyahu is prioritising the steps for the resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict “based on his own colonial priorities, which aim to marginalise the Palestinian cause”, it added.
“He is trying to produce a soft image for the Palestinian state that keeps up with his colonial interests and is trying to impose it forcefully and market it to the international community and [US President] Joe Biden’s administration,” the statement said.
Meanwhile, the statement added, Netanyahu has been working to expand illegal settlements, annex more Palestinian lands, fight the Palestinians in Area C, Judaise Jerusalem through separating it from its surrounding and doubling the number of settlers in the Holy City.
The statement also said that Netanyahu has been demolishing Palestinian homes and shops, as well as pushing more enforced displacement.
At the same time, spokesman for PA President Mahmoud Abbas, Nabil Abu Rudeineh, said: “Peace and stability in the region can only be achieved through first making peace with the Palestinian people and their legitimate leadership and resolving the Palestinian question based on resolutions of international legitimacy and the Arab Peace Initiative.”
Last year, Israel signed normalisation deals with four Arab states – the UAE, Bahrain, Sudan, and Morocco.
Speaking to Ynet News last week Netanyahu said there were “four more peace agreements” on the way, but he gave no further information.
On the same day, Israeli Intelligence Minister Eli Cohen told Radio 100FM that Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Oman, and Niger are planning to formalise ties with the occupation state.
