Abbas Prepares 'New' UN Statehood Initiative
JERUSALEM, Israel -- Palestinian Authority chairman Mahmoud Abbas is upping the ante against Israel even as his coalition partner in the Gaza Strip continued firing massive rocket barrages on Israel over the weekend.
Abbas' latest initiative includes more unilateral statehood steps at the United Nations, coupled with threats to prosecute Israel for alleged war crimes at The Hague international criminal court.
According to media reports, Abbas plans to petition the U.N. Security Council to impose a deadline for Israeli withdrawal from all territory outside the pre-1967 armistice lines to pave the way for a Palestinian state within those borders, with Jerusalem as its capital.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly stated that Israel will not withdraw to indefensible borders, nor would it agree to re-divide its capital or uproot some 350,000 Israelis from their homes and communities in Judea, Samaria, the Golan Heights and other areas outside the armistice lines.
One P.A. official in Ramallah told Jerusalem Post Palestinian Affairs correspondent Khaled Abu Toameh that if the U.S. vetoes the proposal, Abbas will dissolve the Palestinian Authority.
Abbas announced his plan on Egyptian television Sunday, following weekend meetings with Egyptian President Fattah el-Sisi.
Abbas also envisions diminishing the U.S. role as mediator of Israeli-Palestinian conflict by engaging the international community. He says he's secured backing for the plan from the European Union, Russia and Egypt and Arab League member nations.
Before heading to Cairo for weekend talks with the Egyptian president, Abbas traveled to Qatar to meet with Hamas politburo Khaled Meshaal and Qatar emir Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad al-Thani in Dohar on Thursday.
Abbas and Meshaal told reporters in Qatar they planned to petition the Security Council to impose a deadline for Israeli withdrawal from all "Palestinian territories."
Meanwhile, Egyptian mediators continued working with representatives of Hamas and Islamic Jihad in Cairo to secure a month-long ceasefire before beginning the next round of talks on the Gaza Strip, as heavy rocket barrages continued on Monday.
Israel has reportedly agreed to Egypt's latest proposal for an "open-ended" ceasefire, though Netanyahu says Israel will not negotiate under fire.
Meshaal has yet to agree to the latest proposal. Qatar reportedly pressured him with expulsion if he agreed to previous Egyptian-mediated ceasefires.
