Palestinian Official Warns: Israeli Actions in West Bank Threaten Two-State Solution
Hussein Sheikh, the Palestinian Authority's Deputy President, issued a stark warning on Sunday regarding the potential repercussions of planned Israeli actions aimed at deepening annexation and altering the realities on the ground in the West Bank. He emphasized that these measures would effectively dismantle all signed agreements between the two parties.
Sheikh stated that reports of Israeli decisions affecting Area A, which is under Palestinian civil and security control, represent a dangerous escalation and a clear violation of international law. He cautioned that such unilateral actions would undermine any political prospects and directly threaten the viability of the two-state solution.
He further asserted that Israel's policies are attempting to draw the region into a phase of increased tension and instability, urging the U.S. administration and the international community to take immediate and decisive action to halt what he termed "excessive occupation."
Sheikh's comments come as the Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth reported that the Israeli government has made new decisions aimed at facilitating land purchases by settlers in the West Bank and expanding settlement construction, as well as granting Israel authority to take direct actions in Area A.
Estimates and reports from Israel suggest that these decisions will remove barriers to significant expansion of Israeli presence in the West Bank, effectively undermining the 1997 agreement between Israel and the Palestinian Authority.
These developments are particularly significant as they occur just ahead of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's visit to Washington on Wednesday, where he is scheduled to meet with U.S. President Donald Trump. Reports indicate that Trump and his top advisors have urged Netanyahu to reconsider his West Bank policies.
In this context, Palestinian and international concerns are growing that the new Israeli measures could lead to an explosive situation on the ground and permanently close the door to a future political resolution.
