The Palestinian Authority is worried about the new line of sanctions imposed on them by Israel last week as punishment for successfully lobbying the United Nations General Assembly to back an International Court of Justice case against Israel.
"Israel is toughening its actions and is making moves with the intention of pressuring the Authority. The leadership in Ramallah doesn't know what to do and how to react," a Palestinian Arab source told Israel Hayom. "Mahmoud Abbas is determined to continue the political-diplomatic-legal fight, and he has no intention of backing off from this path. At the same time, he does not wish to be seen as the one who's creating the crisis. Therefore, he is not eager to stop the security coordination."
The source told Israel Hayom that the sanctions are a serious hit to the Palestinian Arab economy and that the public will not be able to ignore the rise in the cost of living. According to the report, in the past year, Palestinian Authority public servants and members of its security forces received only 80% of their salary. Workers in sectors, including education, are threatening to protest their salaries, and it is possible that their threats will be realized as the authority's financial situation worsens.
The source continues: "The PA isn't rushing to make quick decisions, and it would seem that it will leave that for the streets. That means that there if there won't be an announcement regarding a lapse in security coordination, Abbas will have less motivation to order the security forces to carry out operations and arrests, and he'll let the streets run themselves."
The source concluded: "Once there are sanctions, why should the Palestinian Authority leadership want to do something for the Ben-Gvir-Smotrich government? The Palestinian side doesn't trust the Israeli side, and this atmosphere can become a crisis on all levels, including in the field."