Mahmoud Abbas called Zehava Gal-On to offer condolences following the death of her father.
By GIL HOFFMANUpdated: JANUARY 29, 2018 03:09Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas(photo credit: REUTERS)
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas lamented to Meretz leader Zehava Gal-On over the weekend that the Oslo Accords are no longer valid.Abbas called Gal-On to offer condolences following the death of her father. He complained to her about the administrations of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump.“The United States can no longer mediate between Israel and the Palestinians,” Abbas said. “Another mediator is necessary – Europe with the Quartet and Arab countries. The Oslo agreement is dead, and even though Israel has not kept its promises, we have not stopped security cooperation. We are waiting to see if there can be negotiations with a fair mediator.”Gal-On told The Jerusalem Post on Sunday that she was not surprised by Abbas’s eulogy for the Oslo Accords.“I have thought Oslo was dead for a long time,” she said. “It’s uplifting that despite Oslo dying he is still cooperating with Israeli security. This gives a horizon, because without security cooperation, there could be chaos and a third intifada.”Gal-On warned that Trump’s pro-Netanyahu policies could lead to serious problems.“Trump doesn’t care about the Palestinians, and this could lead to violence,” she said. “I am not an adviser to Abbas and the Palestinians. I care about the Israeli interest, and that means an agreement on two states for two peoples.The Palestinian Liberation Organization Central Council decided two weeks ago to recommend to Abbas that he suspend security cooperation with Israel and declare the Oslo Accord’s obligations no longer standing. Nevertheless, he has not implemented those decisions, and told EU Foreign Minister Frederica Mogherini last week in Brussels that he would continue to maintain the accords.“We are committed to the agreements that were signed between us and the Israeli side, but we call on Israel to undertake its role in abiding by them,” Abbas said. “It is not acceptable for only one side to be committed to these agreements.”The Oslo Accords are a series of agreements that Israel and the PLO signed in the early 1990s that established the PA and its various institutions.Adam Rasgon contributed to this report.
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