Palestinian PM defends establishment of national authority

Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammed Ishtaye speaks during a joint press conference with Libya's interim prime minister in the Libyan capital Tripoli, on Feb 14, 2022. (MAHMUD TURKIA / AFP)

RAMALLAH – Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammed Ishtaye on Monday 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 Israeli media earlier that he would erase the PNA and plans to annex the Palestinian lands on which Isareli settlements are built and leave the Palestinians to run their affairs in their communities without authority and privileges.

The Palestinian National Authority was established in line with the Oslo peace accords signed between Israel and the Palestinians in 1993

At a weekly cabinet meeting on Monday, Ishtaye said the PNA "was established to be the basis for the Palestinian state, which was recognized by 140 countries of the world, in accordance with the UN resolutions," adding that "it is not a gift or a favor from anyone."
The PNA was established in line with the Oslo peace accords signed between Israel and the Palestinians in 1993.

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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 United States 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.