Mahmoud Abbas
Mahmoud AbbasReuters

Palestinian Authority (PA) chairman Mahmoud Abbas on Monday blasted the Likud Central Committee for its approval of a motion to apply Israeli sovereignty over Judea and Samaria, branding it a "racist decision."

Abbas said that Israel's "dangerous" policy would not have been possible had it not been for the total support of the American administration, which refuses to condemn "the Israeli colonialist settlements and the crimes of the occupation," as he put it.

"The vote (in the Likud Central Committee) should serve as a reminder to the international community that the Israeli government, with the full support of the American administration, stands against a just and lasting peace and strives to establish its racist discriminatory regime throughout historic Palestine," he charged.

Abbas made clear that the Palestinians intend to appeal to the international courts and lodge complaints against Israel in the coming year, as well as to try to join a number of international organizations.

"We will make use of all the legal tools in order to protect the rights of our people and to bring Israel to bear responsibility for its gross and systematic violation of international law," stated Abbas.

Abbas’s Fatah movement was quick to denounce the vote at the Likud Central Committee on Sunday night.

"The decision of the Likud party to impose Israeli control over the occupied West Bank represents an end to the remnants of the peace process," it said.

Abbas has refused to directly negotiate with Israel and has continued to impose preconditions and “red lines” for talks.

Talks between Israel and the PA have been at a standstill since 2014, when the PA unilaterally applied to join international organizations in breach of the conditions of the talks, which were overseen by then-U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry.