PA presidency "warned of severe consequences" after UAE and Bahrain normalize relations with Israel
Headline: “The [PA] presidential office: What happened at the White House will not bring peace; We have not authorized and also will not authorize anyone to speak on behalf of our people or on behalf of the PLO”
“The [PA] presidential office said that the signing of the agreements between the UAE and the Kingdom of Bahrain with the Israeli occupation government at the White House yesterday [Sept. 15, 2020] (see note below –Ed.) will not bring peace to the region, as long as the US and the Israeli occupation government do not recognize our Palestinian people’s right to establish its independent state with [territorial] contiguity in the June 4, 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital, and a resolution of the refugees’ problem according to [UN] Resolution 194 (see note below –Ed.).
In a statement, the presidential office again emphasized that it has not authorized and also will not authorize anyone to speak on behalf of our Palestinian people and on behalf of the PLO, the sole legitimate representative of our people…
The leadership again warned that peace, security, or stability will not be achieved for anyone in the region without the occupation ending, and without our Palestinian people receiving its rights in full, as determined by the resolutions of the international institutions. It also warned that the attempts to bypass the Palestinian people and its leadership – the PLO – will have severe consequences, for which the American administration and the Israeli occupation government will bear the responsibility.”
Israeli peace agreements with the UAE and Bahrain
UN Resolution 194 (Chapter 11, Dec. 11, 1948) states that "refugees wishing to return to their homes and live at peace with their neighbors should be permitted to do so at the earliest practicable date, and that compensation should be paid for the property of those choosing not to return." Palestinian leaders argue this means that all Arabs who left Israel during the war (hundreds of thousands) and their descendants (a few million) have a "right of return" to Israel. Israel argues that the resolution only calls for a limited return and only under certain conditions, especially focusing on the words "wishing to return... and live at peace with their neighbors."