PLO Secretary-General Saeb Erekat is sounding the alarm once more than Israel runs the risk of no longer being “recognized” by the Palestine Liberation Organization, in accordance with the oft-violated but internationally-recognized Oslo Accords, if U.S. President Donald Trump does not rescind his decision to move the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem.
Erekat said on Thursday that PLO leaders will convene Sunday and Monday to “discuss several recommendation toward holding Israel accountable to advance with the realization of the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people.”
According to PLO Executive Committee member Ahmad Majdalani, a proposal will be discussed to suspend recognition of Israel “on the grounds that recognition can only be made between states.” Majdalani made the statement in an interview on Voice of Palestine.
That, of course, makes sense. Only Israel is a sovereign state.
Senior officials in the Palestine Liberation Organization have made this very same threat about revoking recognition of Israel already a year ago.
As with other threats made by the Palestinian Authority and the PLO, this one would irrevocably break the Nobel Peace Prize-winning Oslo Accords.
The agreement in any case is constantly being violated with PA government incitement to violence, ‘pay to slay’ encouragement of terror attacks, and other forms of social programming to prepare their people for ethnic cleansing of Jews, anti-Semitism and hatred of Israelis — and the deadly terror attacks carried out as a result of the government-sponsored incitement, not to mention Hamas terrorist activity carried out under the banner of “reconciliation.”
But January 2016 wasn’t the first time the threat of rescinding recognition of Israel was made, and this was long before President Trump was even a twinkle in the Republican campaign for president.
Nearly three years ago, PLO Secretary-General Saeb Erekat – whose very life was saved recently by the United States with a lung transplant at a Pennsylvania hospital – was already urging the PLO to consider rescinding its recognition of Israel. He also rejected any suggestion that Israel ever be recognized as a Jewish state, and opposed plans for Israel to retain control of the Jordan Valley.
In June 2015, Erekat also threatened that “Israel will have to make a choice before the end of this year: Either we have a contract and partnership that will lead to a two-state solution, or Israel will be solely responsible from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean. This cannot be sustained.”
But it seems the Palestinian Authority is not quite willing to toss in the towel just yet: rather than “return the keys,” as PA leader Mahmoud Abbas has threatened multiple times, the leadership instead has turned again to international legal advisers for more promises, soothing and praise. Nor were they disappointed.
Next week the PLO leadership plans to present a proposal to change the status of the Palestinian Authority from a “transitional authority” to a “state under occupation.” This, the Palestine Liberation Organization hopes, will dissolve all of its legal obligations under international law – including those of the Oslo Accords.