Palestinian Authority (PA) cabinet leader Mohammad Shtayyeh on Monday took advantage of his participation at the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26) to attack Israel.
Even before his speech, Shtayyeh tweeted, “Just arrived in COP26 Glasgow. With leaders from across the world, we'll explore avenues of mutual cooperation to protect our precious planet. We're here today to tell the world that the Israeli occupation is the most critical long-term threat to the Palestinian environment.”
Later, during his speech, he claimed that Israel's “colonial settlements and their waste are Palestine’s most significant environmental dangers.”
"Israel's colonial measures that target land, trees, and water resources call for an immediate cessation of these attacks. Around 2.5 million trees have been uprooted since 1967,” claimed Shtayyeh, as quoted by the PA’s official Wafa news agency.
He also accused Israel of stealing 600 million cubic meters from the PA’s water reservoirs every year and of exhausting the resources of the Dead Sea, which threatens to dry it up.
"In cooperation with our international partners, Palestinians are making a great effort in wastewater treatment and renewable energy. For this to succeed, the Palestinian people must control their land and water along with their national and natural resources," claimed Shtayyeh.
The Regavim movement responded to Shtayyeh’s claims and tweeted, “The lying and antisemitic Palestinian Authority Prime Minister accuses Israel of polluting ‘Palestinian nature’ at the climate conference. The situation is completely reversed, of course.”
The movement included a video which documents the PA’s environmental violations.