Hussein al-Sheikh, the head of the Palestinian Authority’s General Authority of Civil Affairs, said in a tweet yesterday that Israel had to think about ending its occupation of Palestine before demanding negotiations with the Palestinians.
In response to a statement by Israeli Minister of “Defense” Benny Gantz, in which he expressed his intention to visit Ramallah and directly negotiate with President Mahmoud Abbas, Sheikh tweeted, “Whoever talks about his willingness to visit Ramallah and negotiate, he must first think about ending the occupation, not about sending his army to annex and further embed the occupation.”
The Israeli occupation’s government is expected to hold a cabinet vote next week regarding a possible annexation of potions of the occupied West Bank, including the Jordan Valley which makes up about one third of the area of the territory.
The annexation is part of US President Donald Trump’s infamous “Deal of the Century”, which was announced on January 28, and which refers to Jerusalem as “Israel’s undivided capital” and recognizes Israeli sovereignty over large parts of the West Bank.
On May 19, President Mahmoud Abbas declared an end to the agreements and understandings signed with Israel and the United States and turned over responsibility over the occupied territories back to Israel.
The West Bank, including East Jerusalem, was captured by the Israeli occupation forces during the Six-Day War in 1967, and is unanimously regarded by the world countries as an occupied land.
