Nabil Abu Rudeineh, the official spokesman of Palestinian Authority (PA) chairman Mahmoud Abbas, blasted the remarks of Prime Minister-designate Benjamin Netanyahu, who said in an interview that peace with the Palestinian Arabs will be based on granting them powers to self-government without sovereignty and that security will remain in the hands of Israel.
Abu Rudeineh said that "Netanyahu's words are invalid and constitute a defiance towards the decisions of international legitimacy, and in particular Security Council Resolution 2334, which defines all settlements in Palestinian lands, including East Jerusalem, illegal".
"The Palestinian people have the right to establish an independent state with East Jerusalem as its capital, and this is the basis for establishing a just peace based on the decisions of international legitimacy," he added.
Abbas’ spokesman further stated that such statements show the world Israel's true intentions of hostility to international legitimacy and international law, and that there is no Israeli partner that wants to establish peace based on international legitimacy.
He stressed that "if the Palestinian people do not receive their legitimate rights, there will be no security and peace for anyone", and that "there will be no peace as long as the policy of annexation and apartheid and aggression against the Palestinian people continues."