Palestinian pursuit of unilateral statehood goes against the 1993 Oslo Accords
with Israel, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu said Monday during closed-door
discussions in his office.
“By boycotting negotiations and by going
instead to the United Nations, they [the Palestinians] have reneged on a central
tenet of Oslo,” Netanyahu said.
RELATED:US releases hold on $200 million in PA security fundsHe spoke in advance of a report that a UN
Security Council sub-committee is expected to deliver Friday regarding a request
by the Palestinians to be recognized as a fully fledged UN
member.
Although the US is expected to veto the membership request, the
Palestinians have continued to pursue membership. In addition, they have
submitted similar requests to a number of UN related bodies and international
organizations.
Last week, UNESCO recognized Palestine as its 195th
member.
The Palestinians have refused, at the same time, to negotiate a
final status solution with Israel.
Netanyahu said that within the
framework of the Oslo Accords, Israel pulled out of large sections of the West
Bank.
It paid a territorial price, because according to Oslo, the
Palestinians had made a commitment to solve all outstanding issues and disputes
through direct negotiations.
Israel, last week, took a number of punitive
measures against the PA for its pursuit of unilateral statehood.
It
temporarily suspended the transfer of tax funds to the PA, and it authorized the
construction of 2,000 new homes in Jewish neighborhoods in eastern Jerusalem and
West Bank settlements.
An Israeli official warned Monday that Israel
could take further steps against the PA.
“If they renege on agreements
they have to know that there is a price to be paid for the route they have
chosen,” the official said.
“Only if they understand that there are
consequences for such behavior is it likely that they would resume
negotiations.”
The Inner Cabinet, a forum of eight ministers is likely to
meet this week to weigh additional steps against the PA.