From the Liveblog of
Thursday, March 16, 2017
Abbas says Liberman destroying Oslo accords
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas slams the Israeli decision to designate the Palestinian National Fund a terror organization as an attempt to derail American attempts to renew the peace process and a “fundamental” violation of the Oslo Accords.
Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman declared the PNF to be a terrorist organization on Thursday, accusing the Palestinian Authority-linked organization of providing “massive support” to terrorists and funneling “tens of millions of shekels” each month to Palestinian security prisoners and their families.
The Palestinian National Fund is said to contain billions of dollars from wealthy Arab donors and profits from various investments. It is run by Ramzi Elias Yousef Khoury, a high-ranking member of the Palestinian Authority.
Abbas, in a statement posted to the PA official news outlet Wafa, says the move “is a fundamental violation of the Oslo Accords,” an agreement signed in 1993 that set the terms of the relationship between Israel and the PA.
The PA leader adds: “At a time when US President Donald Trump’s envoy is in the region and the US administration is trying to create an atmosphere for peace-making through talks, this announcement is an Israeli attempt to obstruct and sabotage the US efforts and to belittle them.”
Abbas says the PA “totally rejects” Liberman’s decision and calls on the Israeli government to reverse it immediately, because it “would blow up the legal agreement [that underpins] the relationship with Israel.”
— Dov Lieber
The Times of Israel Community.