Palestinian PM defends establishment of national authority

Ramallah: Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammed Ishtaye has defended the establishment of the Palestinian National Authority (PNA), in response to an Israeli official’s anti-PNA remarks.

Israeli Minister of National Security-designate Itamar Ben Gvir told the media that he would erase the PNA and plans to annex the Palestinian lands on which Israeli settlements are built and leave the Palestinians to run their affairs in their communities without authority and privileges, reports Xinhua news agency.

At a weekly cabinet meeting on Monday, Ishtaye said the PNA “was established to be the basis for the Palestinian state, which was recognised by 140 countries of the world, in accordance with the UN resolutions,” adding that “it is not a gift or a favour from anyone”, reports Xinhua news agency.

The PNA was established in line with the Oslo peace accords signed between Israel and the Palestinians in 1993.

The Palestinians have been seeking to establish an independent Palestinian state on the territories seized by Israel in 1967, including the West Bank, the Gaza Strip, and East Jerusalem.

Meanwhile, Ishtaye called on the US to take actual measures to protect the two-state solution, including fulfilling its promises and obligating Israel to implement Security Council Resolution 2334, which deems Israeli settlements illegal and urges an immediate end to them in the Palestinian territories.