Mohammad Shtayyeh
Mohammad ShtayyehReuters

Palestinian Authority (PA) cabinet leader Mohammad Shtayyeh on Monday denounced Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu's remarks on the possibility of applying sovereignty in Judea and Samaria as "a dangerous statement that will bring the conflict over Palestine back to its starting point."

Speaking at a cabinet meeting in Ramallah, Shtayyeh said, "The international community must recognize the state of Palestine within the borders of June 4, 1967, with Jerusalem as its capital and the return of refugees."

He called on the international community to take action against what he called the "unrestrained Israeli aggression against targets in Iraq, Lebanon and Gaza."

Shtayyeh emphasized the need to fight the “settlements” not only in the UN and in the political arena, but also through holding on to the land.

On Sunday, Netanyahu visited the elementary school in Elkana in western Samaria and told the students, "We are building new houses here - this is a new house that is an old house - this is the original old house of the Jewish people and we will build another Elkana. We won't uproot anyone here. There will be no more Gush Katifs, no more displacement, and with the help of G-d we will apply Jewish sovereignty to all [Jewish] communities as part of the Land of Israel and as part of the State of Israel."

Nabil Abu Rudeineh, the official spokesman of PA chairman Mahmoud Abbas, later criticized Netanyahu's remarks, saying that the annexation of Israeli “settlements” is contrary to international law and that the Israeli government is striving to establish facts on the ground that will not bring peace, security or stability.

He further claimed that all the “settlements” were illegal and would be dismantled as they were dismantled in Gaza and the Sinai Peninsula.