Business Standard

Israeli, Palestinian officials to hold security meeting

Image

IANS Ramallah

Israeli and Palestinian officials are set to hold a security meeting in Jerusalem this week to discuss the security situation in the West Bank, a top diplomat said on Tuesday.

Saeb Erekat, secretary general of the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO), did not give further details about the meeting, Xinhua news agency reported.

However, a senior Palestinian official said that the Palestinian delegation will convey a clear message to the Israeli side on the Palestinian commitment to agreements and treaties signed in the past between the two sides.

But, "if Israel kept storming the Palestinian-controlled territories, the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) would soon reconsider all these agreements," the official said.

 

In March, the PLO Central Council decided to sever security cooperation with Israel and reconsider the signed peace treaties and agreements in response to Israel's policy and the ongoing stalemate in the Middle East peace process.

Palestinian factions, like Islamic Hamas movement, the rival of President Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah party, which controls and rules the Gaza Strip, opposes all kinds of security cooperation with Israel.

In October last year, a wave of violence broke out between Israel and the Palestinians in the West Bank, east Jerusalem and Gaza, which has so far left 170 Palestinians and 30 Israelis dead.

Meanwhile, Erekat called on the international community to exercise pressure on Israel to stop "its aggression" on the Palestinian people and respect the signed agreements.

Don't miss the most important news and views of the day. Get them on our Telegram channel

First Published: Feb 09 2016 | 5:16 PM IST

Explore News