Report: Abbas plans to declare PA ‘state under occupation’

Abbas will reportedly declare the areas under PA control “a state under occupation” in an address to the UN General Assembly later this month.

By: World Israel News Staff

After rejecting attempts to revive the peace process, the Palestinians are seeking other methods to promote statehood and wage a diplomatic war against Israel.

Quoting Arab sources, the Israel Hayom daily reported Wednesday that Palestinian Authority (PA) head Mahmoud Abbas will declare the areas under PA control “a state under occupation” while addressing the UN General Assembly later this month.

The Palestinians have previously discussed this plan.

The report quotes a senior Palestine Liberation ‎Organization (PLO) official as saying that Abbas had briefed PLO officials of ‎his intention to declare statehood at the world ‎leader’s forum. Such an announcement could include a declaration of independence, a constitution establishing Palestinian democracy and rights, a Palestinian currency and the establishment of additional Palestinian embassies.

The UN General Assembly could vote on these moves, recognizing “Palestine” as “a state under occupation.”

A senior Israeli Foreign Ministry official told Al-Monitor last September that, legally, the Palestinians cannot change the definition into “a state” without a UN Security Council resolution establishing a state.

He also said Israel has enough clout regarding the Palestinian domestic security situation to convince Abbas to refrain from such a move.

The US would surely veto such a resolution if put to a UNSC vote, rendering a UNGA resolution on the issue merely declarative.

Wednesday’s report quoted an Israeli source who said that such a Palestinian unilateral move would effectively mean ‎the PA’s withdrawal from the 1994 Oslo ‎peace Accords, which it has also declared null and void.

The Palestinians are also pursuing further diplomatic action at the UNGA, the UNSC and the International Criminal Court (ICC) as well as other international organizations in an attempt to promote Palestinian statehood unilaterally and while circumventing a diplomatic agreement with Israel.