RAMALLAH, Sept. 19 (Xinhua) -- The Palestinians signaled recently to annul or modify the interim Oslo peace accords signed with Israel in 1993, where observers considered the issue an explanation of despair towards reaching a final agreement and establish an independent Palestinian state.
The Palestinians said that their recent attitude towards Oslo accords and the declaration of principle that had been signed 19 years ago was their normal response to Israel's disclaim of its commitments. However, the observers said that annulling Oslo accords without having an alternative would be disastrous.
Palestinian Motives
Chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat had earlier told Xinhua that the Palestinian leadership had recently begun to consider "this step" as one of the options to confront the Israeli obduracy as well as Israel's attempts to thwart the efforts of reviving the stalled peace process.
He said that the in-depth debates for this choice "annulling Oslo accords" might be made after Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas drops the bid of recognizing a non-member state of Palestine in the General Assembly of the United Nations on September 27.
However, Erekat stressed that "such a step and making a decision won't be easy or rushing, but all will be taken after all other options and debates are exhausted, adding that the Palestinians will go for the choice of annulling Oslo accords after all other options to face the Israeli stubbornness are exhausted.
Earlier this week, Abbas chaired in the West Bank city of Ramallah a meeting of Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) executive committee and his Fatah Party Central Committee. The Palestinian leadership decided to back Abbas attitude to go for the UN recognition of a non-member Palestinian state.
Officially, Israel hasn't commented on the Palestinian threats concerning Oslo accords, mainly after several Israeli officials rejected an official Palestinian request to amend Paris Economical Accord, which organized the economical ties between the two sides.
Oslo accords were signed on September 13, 1993 at the While House in Washington aiming at ending decades of violent conflict, where both had signed a declaration of principles to establish the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) for five years then discuss a permanent peace deal.
Palestinian lawmaker Mustafa Barghouti told Xinhua that the current reality of the Palestinian situation "is clearly showing the big mistake of signing this agreement," adding that this mistake "is accepting the presence of Israeli military forces in the West Bank that still exists until now."
"The military presence in the West Bank restricts the free movement of the populations, where Israel doesn't recognize the full control of the PNA on the West Bank lands, where it neglects also the role of all the official Palestinian legislative and executive authorities and establishments," said Barghouti.
No horizon for solution
Raising the fate of Oslo accords was made as the Middle East peace process is stalled, where the direct negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians had stopped in October 2010 due to differences on the issue of settlement building in the West Bank and east Jerusalem.
Hani al-Masri, the political analyst and director of Badil Center for studies and surveys based in the West Bank told Xinhua that the track of the bilateral negotiations and Oslo accords and all its supplements and commitments proved that it won't lead them to ending the occupation and self-determination.
"Israel's behavior towards Oslo accords from the very beginning had made the interim solution, which was due to end in 1999, a permanent one," said al-Masri, adding "all the Israeli governments violated the accords because the Israelis believe that the Palestinians don't deserve more than this."
The Palestinians said that over the past 19 years, Israel has been strongly acting on strengthening the occupation of the Palestinian territories and expanding Jewish settlements, building up the isolation fence and isolating the Gaza Strip from the West Bank.
The PNA was supposed to be the seed of the future independent state was accused by its opponents of being the policeman that protects the security of Israel. The slogan of annulling Oslo accords was clear during the latest protests in the West Bank against the high cost of living.
What will happen next?
Those who still back Oslo accords raise the questions on alternatives to the deal once it is annulled, mainly the fate of the PNA which might be collapsed and also the fate of security and economy in the Palestinian territories and how more than 170,000 security and civil servants would survive.
Ibrahim Abrash, the political science professor at al-Azhar University in Gaza told Xinhua that the consequences of annulling Oslo accords would only influence the West Bank, but nit the Gaza Strip which has been ruled by Islamic Hamas movement since 2007.
"In this case if Oslo is annulled, Israel would expand its military presence on the West Bank territories giving security excuses and vacuum will be left after the PNA is dissolved or gone, " said Abrash, who also warned of security chaos and militants will fight on who will take control of the territory.
The most important for Abrash is that the Palestinians should think of an alternative for Oslo before annulling it, adding that "the positive sign of annulling it would make Israel an occupier and responsible for the Palestinians living conditions and this will open the doors for different options."
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