The United States government has reportedly threatened the Palestinian Authority (PA) with economic sanctions if Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas continue to insist on presenting his plan for the end of Israel’s illegal occupation to the United Nations.Israeli news publication ‘Walla’ quoted both American and Israeli sources in reporting that Secretary of State John Kerry threatened the Palestinian delegation if they were to approach the UN with such a resolution.
He warned, according to the Palestinian News Network (PNN), that pursuit of such a course would leave the PA in a difficult position, facing economic sanctions — fundamentally contrary to the State Department’s continued narrative of continuing peace talks and a vast spectrum of denunciatory rhetoric, in addition to contrary statements surrounding settlement expansion and numerous other Israeli violations, including those of longstanding International Law.
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Mr. Kerry, who is a member of the Middle East Quartet, reportedly warned that Washington would not only impose these measures, but would equally try to convince its allies to adopt a similar stance.
See related: Kerry Plan Includes Palestinian Recognition of Israel as Jewish State
Kerry Asks Jordan, Saudi Arabia, To Support Palestinian Recognition Of “Jewish State”
Note: The second report linked above, which was in fact sourced in Israel, has been adamantly denied as being accurate, by the US State Department.
US officials, as if by default, reportedly believes that the future of the Palestinian state should be determined through negotiations with Israel, regardless of several failed attempts at such an approach, in the past, and the Israeli government’s continued failure to keep their own political promises — even in light of the vulgar attrocites recently committed by the military, on the Gaza Strip, over the course of the summer months.
According to the PNN, presenting the Palestinian case to the UN is seen by Washington as a unilateral decision on the Palestinian State, which goes against its vision of negotiations with Israel as being fundamental.
Economic sanctions, thus, serve to discourage such a move by the PA.
Related: US Implies to Block Abbas’ UN Resolution Proposal
Mustafa Barghouti, General Secretary of the Palestinian National Initiative, in speaking to the PNN, dismissed the threat and asserted that the PA is within its legitimate rights in approaching the UN and can go equally to the International Criminal Court.
Barghouti additionally highlighted the fact that the United States ‘talks about the need to respect human rights everywhere and respect international law,’ and now asks:
‘Why is it forbidden for Palestine to exercise this right?’
