Lieberman calls for dissolution of Palestinian Authority — Jerusalem Post
In Israel, Yisrael Beiteinu party leader Avigdor Lieberman called for the dissolution of the Palestinian Authority and spoke of risks to the country’s security due to the elections to the Palestinian Legislative Council planned for November 28. As The Jerusalem Post reports, the politician recalled Hamas’s victory in the 2006 elections and accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of a policy of “containment” toward the Palestinian Authority.
Planned elections
Palestine’s Central Elections Commission is preparing for the first elections to the legislative body in two decades. A decree by Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas provides for the participation of residents of the West Bank, East Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip. At the same time, the commission said that preparations for voting in Jerusalem and Gaza remain among the issues requiring further work.
Hamas said it intends to participate in the elections as part of a broad national coalition. Lieberman believes that the events of 2006 and 2007 should serve as a warning for Israel ahead of the new vote. In the previous parliamentary elections, Hamas won 74 of the 132 seats in the Palestinian Legislative Council, while Fatah received 45 mandates. After that, a struggle for power began between the groups, ending with Hamas establishing control over the Gaza Strip in 2007.
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Statements on security structures
Lieberman also stated that the agreements within the Oslo process provided for about 12,000 Palestinian police officers and security service personnel, whereas their number now, according to him, nearly reaches 60,000. He mentioned Unit 101 and “Bat” units and claimed that their development is part of the Palestinian Authority’s preparations for a large-scale confrontation with Israel.
The politician said that 33 years after the signing of the Oslo Accords, the process had failed and the Palestinian Authority should be dissolved. He also predicted that within two and a half years, the United States would recognize a Palestinian state and support a corresponding UN Security Council resolution.
