News Analysis: Political, economic motives behind PA's decision to restore ties with Israel

2020-11-18 22:05:30 GMT2020-11-19 06:05:30(Beijing Time) Xinhua English

by Saud Abu Ramadan, Emad Drimly

RAMALLAH, Nov. 18 (Xinhua) -- Palestinian analysts agreed that there are political and economic motives behind the Palestinian Authority (PA)'s decision to restore relations with Israel.

The PA said on Tuesday it has resumed relations with Israel after a six-month boycott over Israel's plan to annex parts of the West Bank.

In a press statement, Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammed Ishtaye said that Israel sent a written message to the Palestinian leadership saying that "it pledges to abide by the bilateral agreements." "For this, we resume the relationship with the Israeli authorities," Ishtaye added.

On May 19, the Palestinian leadership declared that all agreements and understandings reached with Israel have ended in protest to the Israeli annexation plan.

Jehad Harb, a Palestinian political analyst from Ramallah, said, "It is clear that the PA decided to restore relations with Israel as the Israeli annexation plan and the American support for it may stop."

He added that severing ties with Israel "has caused profound adverse effects on the Palestinian economy due to failure to pay the salaries of Palestinian government employees in full because of refusing to receive the tax revenue dues from Israel."

"The PA believes that the urgent interest in the current situation is to continue its ability to provide its services to the Palestinians and protect them from poverty as well as the security deterioration that may cause," Harb said.

A Palestinian source told Xinhua that restoring relations with Israel includes restoring security coordination between the two sides and resuming to receive the monthly tax revenue dues from Israel.

During the past six months, the PA refused to receive the tax revenue dues that Israel collects from Palestinian trade at the commercial terminals it controls.

The PA has stopped receiving the 3 billion shekels (about 895 million U.S. dollars) and found it difficult to pay salaries and deal with the COVID-19 repercussions.

As a result, the Palestinian government resorted to partial disbursement of its government employees' salaries due to its financial crisis, which prompted it to borrow several times from local banks to secure the salaries.

Nabil Amro, a former Palestinian diplomat, clarified that "restoring relations with Israel does not necessarily bear serious indications of resuming the stalled peace negotiations between them in the next stage," adding that Israel's message to the PA was not of a high political level.

Various Palestinian factions and political powers opposed the PA's decision to restore relations with Israel, mainly the Islamic Hamas movement, the primary rival of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and his Fatah movement.

Shortly after the PA decision to restore relations with Israel, Fatah and Hamas' leaders ended the bilateral meetings in Cairo without making any progress in setting the general elections date and achieving reconciliation.

Hani al-Masri, a Ramallah-based political analyst, told Xinhua that "the decision to restore relations with Israel raises deep concern and fear among the Palestinians regarding an end of serious opportunities for unity and ending the internal division."

"The PA is still betting on resuming the stalled peace negotiation with Israel and reviving the peace process in various formulas," al-Masri said. Enditem

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