Palestinians boycott UN peace envoy over Gaza ceasefire efforts

Palestinian leadership announced the PA rejects UN envoy Nickolay Mladenov over his attempts to broker a deal between Israel and Hamas.

By: World Israel News Staff

Palestinian leadership declared on Thursday it will refuse to work the United Nations (UN) peace envoy Nickolay Mladenov based on his role trying to broker a truce between Israel and the Hamas terror group in Gaza.

Specifically, Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) executive committee member Ahmed Majdalani claimed that he informed the UN secretary-general that envoy Mladenov is “no longer acceptable” to the Palestinian Authority, reported AFP.

The announcement is apparently a reaction to Mladenov’s efforts in conjunction with Egypt to hammer out a long-term agreement between Hamas and Israel, an effort that has left Abbas’s government out in the cold.

The Palestinian Authority and its unelected leader, Mahmoud Abbas, staunchly oppose any agreement between Israel and Hamas, viewing such a pact as a direct threat to Abbas’ legitimacy as ruler of the Palestinians. To that end, Abbas continues to intensify sanctions on the Gaza Strip and to thwart international humanitarian efforts in an an attempt to isolate the coastal enclave and force Hamas to submit to his Fatah party.

Abbas has also threatened to cut off ties with Israel if the agreement moves forward.

According to AFP, Majdalani accused Mladenov of negatively impacting “Palestinian national security and the unity of our people.”

The PLO’s hostility toward the UN follows an incident in Gaza in which top level international officials of the Palestinians’ UN agency (UNRWA) were forced to flee to Israel after local employees threatened them and “chased them around” the Strip in a menacing fashion.

HamasMahmoud AbbasNickolay MladenovUnited NationsUNRWA