PA said to boycott Quartet following its report on Mideast peace
Senior PA official told al-Hayat newspaper: "the US is dominating the Quartet and that the recent report has American fingerprints all over it."
By MAAYAN GROISMANUpdated: JULY 5, 2016 13:03Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas addresses UN General Assembly(photo credit: REUTERS)
The Palestinian Authority decided to halt its cooperation with the Quartet on the Middle East following the report the international institution issued on Friday regarding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the London-based Arabic language daily newspaper al-Hayat reported Tuesday.According to the report, the decision to cut relations with the Quartet was made by Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas who alleges that the international committee is siding with Israel.The fact that the recent report on peace in the Middle East, issued by the Quartet on Friday, mentioned Palestinian violence and incitement as an obstacle for peace before relating to the Israeli settlements infuriated the Palestinians.A senior Palestinian official told al-Hayat that the US is dominating the Quartet and that the recent report has American fingerprints all over it."The UN is powerless and the EU does not speak in one voice. Russia is a friend of the Palestinians, but many times it concludes deals with the US that affect the entire region," the official said.Mohammad Shtayyeh, a member of Fatah's Central Committee, told al-Hayat: "The report only discussed the goals, not the reasons. The first reason for the failure of the peace negotiations is the settlements that ruin the two-state solution."Thus, if any party wants to reinvigorate peace talks, it must face the truth and suggest a way to talk about how and when the occupation will end," Shtayyeh said.Shtayyeh added that the Palestinian leadership will not cooperate with the Quartet – it will work together with its members, separately."