Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammed Shtayyeh declared Area C "an inseparable part of the lands of the State of Palestine" and urged members of his government to work to establish projects in these areas. Shtayyeh made these remarks at the beginning of the weekly meeting of the Palestinian government that convened today in Ramallah, which was dedicated to examining the tightening of the Palestinian hold on Area C.
"There is an attempt by the current Israeli occupation government and previous governments to annex the so-called Area C areas," Shtayyeh said. During the meeting, the cabinet members discussed ways to "strengthen the steadfastness of the Palestinians in Area C and the establishment of infrastructure in these areas."
A year after its existence was exposed in Israel Hayom, an illegal Palestinian compound in eastern Gush Etzion is expanding // Photo: Regavim
Shtayyeh noted that since the formation of his government, he has given great priority to investing in these areas in all areas. "Today we are relaunching projects related to Area C, and all government ministries are working, each in its own field, for the success of these programs," he said.
In recent years, the Palestinian Authority has made no secret of its intention to tighten its grip on Area C, which, according to the Oslo Accords, is under full Israeli control. The initiator of such moves was Salam Fayyad, former Palestinian prime minister, who published a plan about a decade ago detailing the steps the PA should take to establish a sovereign state, including the development of Area C.
Senior Palestinian officials declare: "The Oslo Accords are dead." The signing of the Oslo Accords at the White House, 1993, photo: Reuters
Since peace talks stalled in 2014, senior Palestinian officials, including Shtayyeh and his predecessor, former Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah, have been declaring that the Oslo Accords are dead – and as far as they are concerned, there is no difference between Areas A, B and C. This has pushed the Palestinians to establish facts on the ground in these areas, including through the construction of illegal structures, with the support of parts of the international community and the European Union.
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