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Palestinians find it ‘hard to believe’ Abbas will end cooperation with Israel

Arabs living under the PA are “caught between the desire to call it quits with Israel and the fear of a further deterioration in their socioeconomic situation,” writes Amira Hass of Ha’aretz.

By World Israel News Staff and JNS

Palestinians are “finding it hard to believe” that Palestinian Authority (PA) leader Mahmoud Abbas intends to go ahead with implementing his declaration on ending cooperation with Israel, writes Amira Hass of Ha’aretz in an analysis piece.

Arabs living under the PA are “caught between the desire to call it quits with Israel and the fear of a further deterioration in their socioeconomic situation,” she adds.

Abbas declared on Thursday that the authority would cease implementation of all agreements with Israel, including on security coordination, and announced the formation of a special committee to that end.

“After all the violations against our people, we announce the cessation of all agreements signed with Israel,” he wrote on Twitter, noting that his statement included security coordination.

Abbas addressed the demolition on Monday of 12 apartment buildings in the Wadi al-Hummus area of Sur Baher, an eastern Jerusalem neighborhood, calling it “an act of ethnic cleansing and a crime against humanity.”

Earlier in the week, he threatened to lodge a complaint in the International Criminal Court in The Hague over the measure.

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On Thursday, the United States blocked a U.N. Security Council proposal condemning the demolitions.

Israel has stated that the demolished buildings had been built too close to the security fence, in contravention of a 2011 military order. Residents argued that the buildings were in Area A of Judea and Samaria, under full PA control. However, Israel’s High Court of Justice ruled against the residents earlier this month.

Abbas accused Israel of failing to comply with signed agreements, such as the provision of Palestinian tax revenues. Israel said that it had withheld $138 million in value-added tax, import duties, and other taxes collected on the PA’s behalf to protest against the Palestinian policy of paying monthly salaries to convicted terrorists and their families.