Palestine cancels summit with Israel over settlement plans

The Palestinian Authority has boycotted a planned economic meeting with Israel over a pair of controversial measures by the occupying regime that ease illegal settlement construction activities in the West Bank.

In a tweet on Sunday, Palestinian Authority Civil Affairs Minister Hussein al-Sheikh canceled Monday’s meeting of the Joint Economic Committee that was expected to bring together Israeli and Palestinian officials.

After Israel’s decision to “accelerate the stages of settlement growth in the West Bank, and to authorize its Minister of Finance, Bezalel Smotrich, to ratify this, we decided to boycott the meeting of the Higher Economic Committee between the two parties.” he wrote.

He added that they will “study” other measures and decisions to implement regarding their relationship with Israel.

The announcement came after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s cabinet passed a resolution that gives practically all control over planning approval for construction in the West Bank settlements to far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich.

Under the resolution, which changed a system that has been in effect for the last 27 years, the numerous stages of authorization needed for Palestinian land theft will be reduced to just one required approval.

Also on Sunday, Smotrich himself said that the Higher Planning Committee of the Civil Administration, under his authority, is set to hold deliberations next week on the approval of 4,560 new settler units in the West Bank.

Nabil Abu Rudeineh, the spokesman of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, warned that Tel Aviv’s behavior will fuel tensions.

Israel is playing with fire, whether in the al-Quds file or the settlement file, which are all considered the Palestinian, Arab and international red lines, he said.

ME