Smotrich: I will cancel the ‘cursed’ Oslo Accords, dismantle Palestinian Authority

Bezalel Smotrich, leader of the Religious Zionism party and Israel’s Finance Minister, has said that one of his main goals in the next term is to cancel the Oslo Accords, dismantle the Palestinian Authority and impose full Israeli sovereignty over the occupied West Bank.

Smotrich made the remarks during a special conference held on Tuesday evening with settlement leaders in the West Bank. He said that “cancelling the Oslo Accords will bring about the end of the Palestinian Authority,” describing this course of action as “the only long-term solution”.

Addressing settlement leaders, he added: “We are placing before you one of our objectives for the coming term: to eliminate the idea of a terrorist Arab state, to cancel the cursed Oslo Accords and to move forward with applying sovereignty, while encouraging migration in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank.”

READ: Smotrich calls for reoccupation of Gaza and military rule

Under the Oslo Accords, signed in the 1990s between Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization, the Palestinian Authority was established and the West Bank was divided into Areas A, B and C. The Palestinian Authority has full civil and security control in Area A, civil control in Area B, and Israel retains full control in Area C.

Smotrich’s comments indicate an intention to reimpose full Israeli military rule across the West Bank, rather than limiting military control or settlement expansion to the Gaza Strip, as part of what he described as the ultimate goal of applying full Israeli sovereignty over the West Bank.

READ: Over 80 UN members condemn Israeli acts to expand ‘unlawful presence’ in occupied West Bank