Ahmed Aboul Gheit, Secretary-General of the Arab League, has vehemently condemned the Israeli Cabinet’s recent decisions to withdraw Palestinian Authority powers in Area B, restrict the movement of certain Palestinian officials, and expand Israeli settlements in various parts of the West Bank. Aboul Gheit described these decisions as a complete and final coup against the Oslo Accords, reverting the situation to a pre-agreement status and entrenching the blatant logic of occupation.
Jamal Rushdi, the official spokesperson for the Secretary-General, stated that Aboul Gheit urged the international community to recognize the true nature of the Israeli government as a right-wing, racist administration uninterested in peace. He accused it of seeking to dismantle any semblance of Palestinian authority and solidify the occupation across all West Bank areas, undermining Palestinian control over their lives, including in Area B, which is supposed to be under Palestinian civil control as per the Oslo Accords.
The spokesperson explained that these recent decisions reflect the Israeli government’s total capitulation to the far-right faction represented by the Finance Minister. He argued that the decisions aim to embarrass and insult the international community, which has been moving towards greater recognition of the Palestinian state by undermining the foundations of the two-state solution. He emphasized that such actions escalate tensions in the West Bank, set the clock back to pre-Oslo Accords times, and attempt to subject Palestinians to a direct occupation regime that can only be described as apartheid.
