Under Saudi, Egypt pressure, Abbas retreat from prosecuting Israel

In response to Saudi and Egyptian pressure, Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas has pledged not to take steps to prosecute Israeli officials in international courts, Al-Khaleej Online revealed yesterday.

A senior PA official told the news site that Saudi Arabia and Egypt put pressure on Abbas to bring the dispute with the United State regarding the suspension of the licence of the PLO office in Washington to an end.

Early this week, the US Department of State announced it would renew the license of the PLO office in Washington on condition that the PA enter into unconditional peace talks with Israel and does not prosecute Israeli officials before international courts.

The official said that a number of the Arab countries, headed by Saudi Arabia and Egypt, conducted intensive contacts with Abbas in order to stop the escalation in this file.

Read: We simply can’t ignore the Israel factor in Saudi Arabian politics

The move came as a result of Abbas’ threats that he would sever ties with the US, the official explained.

“The Palestinian president responded to this pressure and told Riyadh that he would not file any lawsuit against the Israeli officials in the international courts,” the senior PA official said.

Mahmoud Abbas turns a blind eye on Gaza’s blockade – Cartoon [Latuff/MiddleEastMonitor]