Israeli Foreign Minister Threatens Palestinian Authority Over UN Actions

The Israeli Foreign Minister threatened the Palestinian Authority that if it takes action for a new resolution against Israel at the UN General Assembly, Israel will lead this authority to "collapse" and "dissolve" it. The Palestinian government, led by Mahmoud Abbas, has presented a plan to the General Assembly calling for Israel's withdrawal from the West Bank and sanctions against senior Israeli officials. In response to these political moves from Ramallah, Yisrael Katz stated on Sunday, September 9, that if the Palestinian Authority continues its "aggressive" approach against Israel at the UN, Israel will act to collapse and dissolve it. The Palestinian Authority has based its request for a draft resolution against Israel on the rulings of the International Court of Justice in The Hague, which is affiliated with the UN. Two months ago, the International Court of Justice announced that Israeli settlement policy in the West Bank is "violating" international law and that Israel has effectively annexed large parts of the West Bank along with East Jerusalem. The demands of the Palestinian government in the draft presented to the UN are summarized as follows: Israel's withdrawal from the West Bank within six months, cessation of construction in Israeli settlements, "return of Palestinians to their homeland," imposition of sanctions against senior Israeli officials, and prevention of arms sales to Israel if used in Palestinian territories. The Palestinian Authority has expanded its diplomatic campaign against Israel in the international arena since the extremist Hamas group's attack on Israel, which led to the Gaza war. Unlike Hamas, which is recognized as a terrorist group by the US and the EU, the Palestinian Authority and its leadership have close relations with Western governments, including the US and the EU. The Palestinian Authority's plan against Israel has been presented ahead of the annual UN General Assembly meeting with the participation of world leaders and senior government representatives, and according to the Israeli ambassador to the UN, it is set to be voted on next week. Israel has stated that it will act against the Palestinian Authority by issuing arrest warrants for its officials. According to the Times of Israel, the Israeli Foreign Minister has ordered a series of actions to be coordinated with the US and other Israeli allies. Mr. Katz emphasized that actions by the Palestinian Authority that are in "complete contradiction" to its commitments in previous agreements with Israel will lead to reciprocal actions by Israel and the cessation of any cooperation with this government, which will result in its "dissolution." Although UN General Assembly resolutions are non-binding, Israel is concerned that the issuance of the Palestinian Authority's desired resolution could escalate global pressure to blacklist Israeli settlements and lead to arms sanctions against Israel. Bezalel Smotrich, the finance minister in the Israeli coalition government, recently blocked the transfer of funds from Palestinian tax revenues that, according to past agreements, should be provided to the Palestinian Authority through Israel. The Israeli newspaper Maariv reported on September 9 that the finance minister's actions have severely weakened the foundations of the Palestinian Authority, and the worsening economic situation in the West Bank and the vacuum created by the lack of strong infrastructure have strengthened Iran's and Hamas's influence in the West Bank. Bezalel Smotrich had previously stated that the Palestinian Authority is a heavy burden, but Hamas is "an asset." According to Maariv, the government of Benjamin Netanyahu has continued this policy after Hamas's attack on Israel.