Ahead of possible Israeli annexation, Abbas said to refuse call from Pompeo

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas refused a phone call this week from US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, the Kann public broadcaster reports, ahead of Israel’s possible annexation of parts of the West Bank.

The broadcaster says CIA representatives met this week in Ramallah with Palestinian officials in a bid to convince them to open a dialogue with the White House about US President Donald Trump’s peace plan, but their effort came to naught.

The Ramallah-based PA has boycotted the Trump administration since he recognized Jerusalem as Israel’s capital in 2017 and has rejected his peace plan, which designates some 30 percent of the West Bank for Israel and the rest for a prospective Palestinian state.

Kann also says the PA told US and European officials it’s planning to gather weapons from its security forces and turn them over to the IDF if Israel moves forward with annexation. Palestinians officials cited by the broadcaster describe such a move as a “judgement day weapon.”

“We’ll bring the weapons and ammunition in trucks to the headquarters at Beit El if there’s annexation. We’ve already prepared lists of all the weapons. Israel will be responsible for security in the [West] Bank,” the Palestinian officials are quoted as saying.

The officials also say the Palestinian Liberation Organization could declare the disbandment of the PA.