‘Chaos is Name of the Game’: PA Moves Toward Declaration of Independence

The Palestinian Authority is expected to exploit international legitimacy for such a move and declare the cancellation of the 1994 Oslo peace Accords.

By Baruch Yedid, TPS

“There is a great deal of support among the Palestinian leadership for the idea of declaring an independent state in response to the annexation of territories and the application of Israeli sovereignty in the Jordan Valley,” a Palestinian Authority (PA) official from Ramallah told TPS.

In such a scenario, the source explained, the declared “State of Palestine” would exercise its right to be a United Nations observer state and act under UN Resolution 67/19, a resolution from November 29, 2012, upgrading Palestine to non-member observer state status in the United Nations General Assembly.

The Palestinian Authority is expected to exploit international legitimacy for such a move and declare the cancellation of the 1994 Oslo peace Accords.

In this case, the PLO Executive Committee would become the interim government while the PLO Central Council would become the Palestinian interim parliament, assuming the powers that the PA had previously held.

In the meantime, a constitutional council was established to draft a constitution, and the PLO is also expected to hold a referendum to approve the constitution, which would form the basis for a Palestinian state.

The PA fears, however, that such a move towards independence would prompt the Israeli government to declare sovereignty over very large areas in Judea and Samaria, leading to a third intifada.

Nonetheless, the PA’s leadership believes that only drastic moves serve the Palestinian interest under the circumstances.

The official estimates that in any situation, the Fatah organization will remain as the organization responsible for managing civilian life and continue to manage civilian issues for the Israeli government.

“Chaos is the name of the game,” the official told TPS, saying that Fatah has many who prefer chaos over a situation in which Israel manages to establish control over the Palestinian population instead of Fatah and the PLO.

In his estimation, Israel will find it difficult in the near future to cooperate with local institutions managing civilian life in PA areas.

The official made it clear that Fatah will not act as an administrative body but will control the street, much like the situation that existed before the establishment of the Palestinian Authority.

Recently, senior Fatah and PA officials, including Hussein a-Sheikh and Jibril Rajoub, said they would shift responsibility to Israel so it can be charged as acting an occupying army.

On Monday, senior Fatah member Mahmoud Al-Allul declared that in any future scenario, Fatah will be responsible for the Palestinian population.