Israel insists security cooperation with PA is business as usual

Israeli officials insisted on Friday that it is business as usual for security cooperation with the Palestinian Authority, local media have reported. The remarks were made following an announcement that the PA has ended cooperation at the behest of the Palestine Liberation Organisation’s Central Council.

The PLO body met in Ramallah on Wednesday and Thursday. Its members called for a complete halt to security cooperation with the Israeli occupation authorities on the grounds of Israel’s “illusive” peace process.

“Israel, the occupying power in Palestine, must assume all its responsibilities in accordance with its obligations under international law,” said a statement from the PLO, as it also called for a boycott of all Israeli products, not just those originating on illegal settlements. “Israel must pay the price for its refusal to assume its responsibilities under international law, including its systematic denial of the Palestinian right to self-determination.”

However, PA President Mahmoud Abbas, who is the head of the PLO and its Central Council, stressed that the decisions of the council are recommendations and not mandatory for the Palestinian Authority.