This week, high-ranking Palestinian Authority (PA) officials will meet in Ramallah to discuss how to respond to the possibility that Jerusalem will apply sovereignty to parts of the West Bank. Reportedly, one of the options they will consider is withdrawal from all written agreements with Israel. Khaled Abu Toameh believes that the PA president, Mahmoud Abbas, would happily threaten to take such a drastic step, but will never follow through:
In the past few years, Abbas and some Palestinian officials have threatened to abandon the agreements, including the 1993 Oslo Accords, and revoke the PLO’s recognition of Israel. On several occasions, Abbas has also threatened to dismantle the PA in response to Israeli and U.S. policies. [But], besides boycotting the Israeli government and the administration of President Donald Trump, Abbas has failed to carry out any of his other threats, and he has good reason not to do so.
The PA was created by the Gaza-Jericho Agreement, pursuant to the 1993 Oslo Accords. The termination of the accords will lead to the dismantling of the PA and its institutions, with Abbas losing his status as its president. In addition, such a move is likely to result in a sharp decline of international financial aid to the Palestinians, who will be left without a governing body. This is a move that the Palestinians can’t afford, particularly during an economic crisis resulting from the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic.
Under the terms of the Paris Protocol of 1994, the PA and Israel work together on various trade and economic projects that are significant for the Palestinian economy. If the Oslo Accords are cancelled, Israel, for its part, would no longer be obliged to issue work permits for Palestinians and could halt the import and export of Palestinian goods.
Read more on Jerusalem Post: https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/will-abbas-carry-out-his-threat-to-nix-agreements-with-israel-626766