Saeb Erekat
Saeb ErekatReuters

Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) Secretary General Saeb Erekat on Saturday condemned Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s promise to apply sovereignty to Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria if he leads the next government.

“Such a statement by Netanyahu is not surprising. Israel will continue to brazenly violate international law for as long as the international community will continue to reward Israel with impunity, particularly with the Trump Administration's support and endorsement of Israel's violation of the national and human rights of the people of Palestine,” Erekat wrote on Twitter.

He also threatened that the Palestinian Authority (PA) could resort to legal measures to prevent such action by Israel.

"We'll continue to pursue our rights through international forums, including the International Criminal Court, until we achieve our long overdue justice," said Erekat.

Netanyahu’s comments came in an interview with Channel 12 News on Saturday night.

"Yes, I'll apply sovereignty. I don't separate the large [settlement] blocs from the isolated points (settlements - ed.),” he said.

The PA officially joined the ICC on April 1, 2015, and immediately filed a series of legal complaints with the court. In addition to claiming that Israel committed war crimes during the 2014 Gaza war, it also claimed that Israeli “settlements” are “an ongoing war crime”.

The PA has had standing at the court since the UN General Assembly recognized the "state of Palestine" as a non-member observer in 2012.