Dr. Dalal Erekat: The Authority must continue on its path of going to the United Nations until the end

Nihad Abu Ghosh: The occupation seeks to keep the Palestinian Authority submissive and undermine any attempt to hold it accountable

Suleiman Basharat: Israel will seek to isolate the Palestinian Authority politically and diplomatically at the international level

Firas Yaghi: The Authority cannot retreat in light of global solidarity and decisions based on international law

With Israel threatening to confront the expected Palestinian efforts at the United Nations, where the Palestinian Authority is expected to present a series of proposals and votes against Israel, including a call for strengthening international sanctions and an arms embargo, the coming days may carry further repercussions, in which Israel may take actual steps to further undermine the Authority, according to what a number of Israeli officials have announced in recent days.

In preparation for these moves, the Israeli government discussed, in various forums such as the cabinet and the Foreign Ministry, plans to impose gradual sanctions on the Palestinian Authority, including preventing the transfer of funds and cutting off security coordination, and other steps aimed at undermining the Authority internationally, such as the complete closure of foreign missions working with the Authority.

Tensions are expected to escalate as the Security Council and General Assembly meet next week to discuss the situation in Gaza and the West Bank, with a vote expected in favour of the Palestinian resolution.

In separate interviews with “I”, writers, analysts and political professors confirm that the potential Israeli steps come within the framework of a systematic policy to weaken the Palestinian Authority and deter it from resorting to the international arena to hold Israel accountable for its violations.

They believe that despite these threats, the Palestinian Authority seems determined to continue its moves at the United Nations, driven by broad international support for its rights, in light of the continued Israeli occupation with its war crimes of genocide and settlement.

Strengthening international alliances and expanding the circle of recognition of the state

Dr. Dalal Erekat, Professor of Diplomacy and Conflict Resolution at the Arab American University, believes that the expected Israeli threats against the Palestinian Authority may include taking economic or security measures in response to any steps taken by the Authority at the United Nations.

Erekat explains that Israel may stop financial transfers, take limited military action, or intensify settlement activities. Although these threats are not new, they contradict Israel’s obligations as an occupying state under international law and signed agreements, which reinforces the need for Palestine to continue its legal and diplomatic strategy on the international stage.

Erekat stresses the importance of Palestine continuing to strengthen its international alliances and expand the circle of recognition of the Palestinian state, by calling on the international community, especially influential powers such as the United States and the European Union, to exert pressure on Israel to abide by international law and United Nations resolutions.

Erekat stresses that building on the International Court of Justice’s decision that the occupation is illegal and that the settlements must be dismantled is a pivotal starting point for dealing with the current Israeli reality.

Erekat stresses that the Palestinian Authority must continue on its path until the end, as its strategy is based on the indisputable tools of international law and diplomacy, which enjoy the support of the majority of UN member states.

Erekat stresses that the Palestinian cause is a cause of right and justice, and that the Authority cannot back down from the Palestinian people's rights to sovereignty and independence.

Erekat calls on the Authority to strengthen its communication with international organizations and courts, such as the International Court of Justice and the International Criminal Court, to ensure that Israel is held accountable for its ongoing violations.

Erekat believes that international pressure can be exerted through bilateral relations and coercive diplomacy, which is a powerful tool in the hands of the international community to impose diplomatic isolation on Israel or to deter it from its practices.

Documenting Palestinian rights and putting the ball in the international court

Erekat explains that going to the United Nations aims to document Palestinian rights and put the ball in the international community's court, noting that UN resolutions, despite their failure to be implemented, remain part of the international record and contribute to strengthening Palestinian rights in international law.

Erekat points out that this step reminds the international community of its obligations towards the Palestinian cause, especially in light of the international consensus on the two-state solution, which Palestine adopts through the Palestine Liberation Organization to achieve a just and comprehensive peace.

Erekat relies on Article 25 of the United Nations Charter, which obliges member states to implement Security Council resolutions, stressing that these Palestinian steps put legal and moral pressure on states to implement their obligations towards the Palestinian cause.

Erekat believes that continuing on this legal and diplomatic path enhances the status of the Palestinian cause on the international scene and makes it present on the global agenda, which contributes to preserving international legitimacy and supports the rights of the Palestinian people to achieve their sovereignty and full independence.

Threats in the context of the comprehensive attack on the Palestinian people

Writer and analyst Nihad Abu Ghosh stresses that the escalating Israeli threats against the Palestinian Authority come in the context of a comprehensive attack on the Palestinian people, which does not exclude anyone, and aims primarily to prevent the establishment of a Palestinian state.

Abu Ghosh believes that these Israeli threats come within the framework of an ongoing Israeli policy to impose sanctions on the Palestinian Authority whenever it takes legal and diplomatic steps in international forums, considering that Israel seeks to keep the Authority submissive and is trying to undermine any attempts to use the tools of international law to hold the occupation accountable.

He points out that Israel wants to punish the Palestinian Authority for any step it takes in the international arena, especially with regard to activating the tools of international law that aim to expose Israeli violations.

The PA is unlikely to surrender to Israeli pressure

In light of this escalation, Abu Ghosh believes that yielding to Israeli threats will lead to more sanctions and punitive measures that will deepen the isolation of the Authority and strengthen the occupation’s hegemony.

Despite these threats, Abu Ghosh rules out the possibility that the Palestinian Authority will surrender to Israeli pressure, stressing that the Authority will continue its legal and diplomatic efforts, especially in light of the crimes of genocide committed by the occupation against the Palestinian people, and Israel’s efforts to resolve the conflict in its favor once and for all.

The importance of arming yourself with national unity

Abu Ghosh calls for the Authority to arm itself with the Palestinian people and national unity, stressing that the occupation's efforts to weaken the Authority will push the region towards chaos, which is something that no international party welcomes, because it means strengthening the vision of the extreme Israeli right in the region.

Abu Ghosh confirms that there is broad international support for issuing a resolution based on the recent advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice, which considers the Israeli occupation illegal, pointing out the need to translate this support into an official resolution at the United Nations.

Abu Ghosh stresses that the Palestinian Authority’s approach to the United Nations to issue a resolution “considering the occupation illegitimate” grants legitimacy to the Palestinian national struggle, guides countries that are hesitant in their positions, and encourages other countries to recognize the State of Palestine.

Abu Ghosh believes that such a step will delegitimize the Israeli occupation’s actions, enhance international efforts to revive the two-state solution as a political option to resolve the conflict, and restore the Palestinian cause’s standing on the international stage.

An attempt to create a new reality that hinders the establishment of an independent Palestinian state

Writer and political analyst Suleiman Basharat believes that within the policies of punishment that Israel uses against the Palestinians in general, and against the Palestinian National Authority in particular, Israeli measures can be taken to respond to the steps of the Palestinian Authority.

Basharat explains that the most prominent of these Israeli punitive tools is the withholding of Palestinian clearance funds, which Israel uses as a tool of political and financial pressure on the Authority with the aim of weakening it and maintaining control over its economic and financial capabilities, which leads to a state of continuous accumulation in weakening the Authority, pointing to the possibility of Israel imposing sanctions on Palestinian national figures and leaders.

Basharat stresses that current Israeli trends indicate that the decisions taken may affect the form, nature and future of the Palestinian state.

Subjecting Area B to full Israeli control

According to Basharat, Israel seeks to transform the areas classified as “B” according to the Oslo Accords into areas under full Israeli control, while intensifying land confiscation and expanding settlements, which creates a new reality that hinders the establishment of an independent Palestinian state or political entity.

Basharat points out that there is a possibility of isolating the Palestinian Authority politically and diplomatically at the international level, citing what happened previously when Israel withdrew the powers of some European diplomatic missions to the Palestinian Authority, and Israel may take additional steps such as obstructing Palestine’s accession to international bodies and institutions and implementing intensive international incitement campaigns against the Palestinian Authority.

Basharat points out that Israel may resort to repeating methods it has previously used, such as imposing complete isolation on the Palestinian Authority, citing what happened to the late President Yasser Arafat when Israel imposed a political siege on him and prevented him from communicating with the outside world.

Continue to escalate the confrontation with the world

In light of these developments, Basharat stresses the importance of confronting Israeli policies in Palestine by exposing the occupation’s allegations and continuing to escalate the confrontation before the world, even in light of the punitive Israeli responses, stressing that this approach will further expose and expose the occupation internationally.

Regarding the Palestinian Authority's steps at the United Nations, Basharat believes that it is difficult to determine the possibility of it retracting its decisions, especially in light of the Israeli escalation in the West Bank.

But Basharat points out that the Authority is seeking to obtain decisions in favor of the Palestinian cause, but the question remains about how to follow up on the implementation of those decisions.

Basharat emphasizes a pivotal point related to the international system, which he sees as a creation of colonial powers and serves their own vision, which raises questions about the effectiveness of these institutions in providing justice to peoples.

However, Basharat stresses the need to address these institutions to expose their double standards and create global popular awareness that can influence decision-makers in the West and the United States.

Firas Yaghi: The Authority cannot back down from its steps at the United Nations, as that would constitute a major blow to the concept of international solidarity and adherence to international legitimacy decisions.

Writer and political analyst Firas Yaghi explains that there is an Israeli tendency to take punitive measures against the Authority that may include preventing the transfer of funds and cutting off security coordination, in response to what Israel considers to be moves that violate the Oslo Accords, as it seeks to besiege the Palestinian Authority in a way that actually harms it.

Yaghi explains that among the Israeli proposals is closing foreign missions operating in the Palestinian territories, pointing to what happened with Norway as an example of possible measures.

Yaghi points out that Israel sees the Palestinian Authority's moves as a type of what it calls "diplomatic terrorism," especially since Israel, after October 7, is facing legal pressure at the international level, including the International Criminal Court and the International Court of Justice.

These pressures come in conjunction with proposals submitted to the United Nations that include a full condemnation of Israel, especially in issues related to settlements and the situation in the West Bank, which may lead to the imposition of international sanctions on which countries can rely if they decide to deal with these decisions.

He points out that the Palestinian Authority, for its part, is seeking to impose a ban on the sale of weapons to Israel, which is a source of great concern for Israel, as the vote on this resolution is expected to reach its peak during the coming week.

Israel has actually begun implementing the Smotrich plan

According to Yagi, Israel has already begun implementing the “Smotrich Plan” in the West Bank, which aims to “resolve the conflict” by undermining the Palestinian Authority and attempting to undermine its representation of the Palestinian people, and the next steps may fall within the context of implementing that plan.

Yaghi stresses that Israel is continuing its attempts to undermine the Authority with the aim of marginalizing it and preventing it from continuing its movements in the United Nations and the Security Council.

However, according to Yaghi, the Palestine Liberation Organization will not submit to these threats, stressing that it will exercise its rights based on international law and the International Court of Justice, especially with regard to the situation in the West Bank and the war of extermination being waged against the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip.

Yaghi points out that the recent Israeli escalation, including the increasing incursions into the northern West Bank and the intensification of settlement activity, reflects a practical application of attempts to undermine the Palestinian Authority.

Despite these threats, Yaghi asserts that the Authority is based on international legitimacy resolutions and its demands for the United Nations to impose sanctions and an arms embargo on Israel, especially in light of what he described as a major shift in Israel’s global image as a result of the “war of extermination” in the Gaza Strip, racist practices, land confiscation, and the strengthening of settlements in the West Bank.

Yaghi confirms that the Palestinian Authority will not back down from its steps at the United Nations, as it has chosen the path of diplomatic struggle in confronting the Israeli occupation.

Yaghi stresses that any retreat by the Authority in the face of Israeli threats will undermine its position and the position of the Palestine Liberation Organization on the international level, especially in light of global solidarity and in light of the decisions of legitimate international bodies and institutions that are based on international law.

US Support and European Political Hypocrisy

Yaghi asserts that "the basic dilemma is that Israel is considered above the law," supported by the firm position of the United States, in addition to European political "hypocrisy."

He points out that for the European Union to take any decision, including those related to Israel, it requires the consensus of member states, which complicates matters, especially with the presence of six countries that oppose recognizing the Palestinian state or imposing sanctions on Israel based on the decisions of the International Court of Justice in The Hague.

Yaghi explains that there is international consensus that the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip are occupied territories.

Yaghi points out that the International Court of Justice’s decision effectively nullified former US President Donald Trump’s decision to move the US embassy to Jerusalem, noting that the court’s decision confirms that international law does not recognize a unified Jerusalem under Israeli sovereignty, but rather recognizes East Jerusalem as occupied territory, and therefore any decisions supporting Israel in the occupied territories are not in line with international legitimacy or international law.

Yaghi stresses that the Palestinian right is fixed and cannot be lost over time as long as international law supports the establishment of a Palestinian state.

From this standpoint, Yaghi calls for adherence to international legitimacy decisions and continuing to resort to the United Nations to issue decisions that serve the Palestinian cause, especially in light of the current Israeli practices that seek to “bury and liquidate the Palestinian cause” through expanding settlements and attempts to resolve the conflict by annexing Palestinian lands in the West Bank.

Therefore, Yaghi stresses that the Palestinian Authority will continue to rely on international support and UN resolutions to confront these challenges, pointing out that diplomatic struggle remains an important option in preserving the rights of the Palestinian people in light of the intransigence of the Israeli occupation.