Mahmoud Abbas
Mahmoud AbbasHadas Parush/Flash 90

Palestinian Authority (PA) chairman Mahmoud Abbas does not intend to renew the security coordination with Israel, which was halted during the recent crisis in the Al-Aqsa Mosque, unless Israel meets a series of conditions, the Ma’an news agency reported Tuesday, citing senior PA officials.

According to the report, Abbas’s conditions are as follows:

  • Area A must be under full PA sovereignty.
  • The offices and facilities of the PA shall have legal and international protection.
  • Israel will cease military operations in Area A.
  • Israel will ensure Palestinian Arab freedom of movement without restrictions or conditions.
  • Israel will cease using undercover soldiers, “abducting” senior members of parliament and arresting minors.
  • The PA will be able to exercise its right to control the crossings and to be present at the Jordan Bridge alongside the Israeli and Jordanian delegations.

Abbas announced late last month he was freezing contacts with Israel over its security measures at the Temple Mount.

At the time, the PA chairman claimed the measures were "falsely presented as a security measure to take control over Al-Aqsa Mosque".

He subsequently canceled scheduled security coordination meetings between Israeli and PA officials.

Even after Israel removed the metal detectors and security cameras from the Temple Mount, Abbas said the security coordination with Israel would continue to be frozen until "things return to how they were before the 14th of July," a reference to the day Temple Mount was closed after the terror attack there, in which two Israeli policemen were murdered.