Nabil Abu Rudeineh, the spokesman for Palestinian Authority (PA) chairman Mahmoud Abbas, slammed the Israeli cabinet for holding its weekly meeting in the Jordan Valley and approving Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s proposal to authorize the community of Mevo’ot Yericho.
Abu Rudeineh said in a statement quoted by the Wafa news agency that the Israeli government is “determined to continue to undermine any opportunities to achieve a just and lasting peace based on the resolutions of international legitimacy and in accordance with the principle of a two-state solution, through its settlement approach.”
He stressed that “all the settlements established in the Palestinian territories occupied in 1967, including Jerusalem, are illegal, and no one can give them legitimacy as they violate UN Security Council Resolution 2334.”
Abu Rudeineh called on the international community to immediately intervene to “stop the Israeli madness” which, he claimed, is aimed at “destroying all the foundations of the political process.”
Speaking at Sunday’s cabinet meeting, Netanyahu had reiterated his pledge to soon apply Israeli sovereignty in the Jordan Valley and Dead Sea area.
"We will apply sovereignty in the Jordan Valley and the Northern Dead Sea as soon as the next government is established in the next Knesset. I have appointed a work team headed by the director of the Prime Minister's Office, which will formulate an outline for applying sovereignty," said Netanyahu.
Abbas was furious following Netanyahu’s announcement about applying sovereignty in the Jordan Valley and threatened to end all agreements with Israel should Netanyahu go through with the plan.