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Palestinians May Reconsider Recognition of Israel: Paper
A senior Palestinian official said Wednesday that if Israel continues "its aggression against the Palestinians," the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) may reconsider its official recognition of the Jewish state.
PNA Cabinet Secretary Ahmed Abdel Rahman made the remarks in an interview with the PNA official daily al-Hayat al-Jadida, which is published in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
"It is also likely that the PNA will reconsider all of the agreements signed with Israel," Rahman added.
The Palestinians were irritated by Israel's 20-hour occupation of an area in the northeastern corner of the Gaza Strip on Tuesday. The area, according to interim accords between the two sides, should be under full Palestinian control.
Palestinian officials said that if Israel defies the peace accords by occupying Palestinian-controlled areas, there will be no reason for the Palestinians to make the painful compromise to keep recognizing the Jewish state.
Israel claimed that its reoccupation of the northern Gaza area near the town of Beit Hanoun was only a "defensive and temporary move" to restore security to the nearby Israeli communities which had been hit by Palestinian mortar shells Monday evening.
But Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat said Tuesday that Israel's retaliation in the Gaza Strip for the mortar attack and reoccupation of the Palestinian-controlled area amounted to an " unforgivable crime," and vowed that the Palestinians would "not kneel" to the Israeli "gangs."
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