Leader says no more pacts with U.S. and Israel

RAMALLAH, West Bank — Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas says the Palestinian Authority will no longer be committed to any signed agreements with Israel or the United States, following Israel’s pledge to annex large parts of the occupied West Bank.

It was not immediately clear how the announcement, which was made at a Palestinian leadership meeting late on Tuesday, would be implemented. The Oslo accords and other agreements in the 1990s created the Palestinian Authority and govern its political, economic and security relations with Israel.

“The Palestinian Liberation Organization and the State of Palestine are no longer committed to all signed agreements and understandings with the Israeli government and the American government, including the security commitments,” Abbas said.

He said Israel would now have to “uphold responsibilities before the international community as the occupying power.”

He also announced that the Palestinians would step up their campaign to join international organizations as a member state, in defiance of the U.S.

There was no immediate reaction from Israel or the United States.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to annex the Jordan Valley and Jewish settlements in the West Bank in line with President Trump’s Middle East plan, which overwhelmingly favors Israel and was rejected by the Palestinians.

Netanyahu could present an annexation proposal to his government as soon as July 1.