Mohammad Shtayyeh
Mohammad ShtayyehReuters

Palestinian Authority (PA) cabinet leader Mohammad Shtayyeh warned on Monday that if Israel fulfills its intention to apply sovereignty over Judea and Samaria, the PLO may cancel its recognition of Israel.

In an interview with the Palestine television network, Shtayyeh said that the PLO had a number of diplomatic cards to use against Israel, including the recognition of Israel under the Oslo Accords signed with former PA chairman Yasser Arafat.

Despite Shtayyeh’s threat, the PA has never accepted the legitimacy of Israel as a Jewish State, and the PLO charter continues to reject the existence of the State of Israel despite the provision of such recognition in the Oslo Accords.

In his remarks, the PA cabinet leader blamed Israel, led by Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, for adopting a strategy aimed at destroying the possibility of establishing a Palestinian state through a continued siege of the Gaza Strip, annexation of Jerusalem, and the use of Area C in Judea and Samaria (which is under Israeli civilian and security control) as a strategic area to expand settlements.

Shtayyeh called for mass activities and the unification of the ranks in the Palestinian Arab camp to deal with the "existence war" that Israel imposes on the PA.

The PA is outraged over the coalition agreement between Netanyahu and Defense Minister Benny Gantz, which stipulates that the government can apply sovereignty over Judea and Samaria in July.

In response to the move, PA chairman Mahmoud Abbas announced recently that the PA was no longer bound by the agreements it signed with Israel and the US, including the security coordination with Israel.

A report on Sunday indicated that the PA has taken its battle against the sovereignty plan to the United Nations, seeking official condemnation by the international body against the Jewish state.