Ankara: Far-right Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir called Sunday for the immediate overthrow of the Ramallah-based Palestinian Authority (PA). In a post on his X account, Ben-Gvir urged Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to "bring immediate operative measures to the next cabinet meeting to dismantle the Palestinian Authority." He argued that this action must be the response to what he described as Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas's "fantasies of a 'Palestinian state'" and aimed at dismantling the "terror authority" he leads.
According to Anadolu Agency, media reports have surfaced that Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas plans to announce the transformation of the PA into a state at the upcoming UN General Assembly meetings in September. The Palestinian Foreign Ministry has condemned Ben-Gvir's call, describing it as a continuation of Israel's policies of genocide, forced displacement, and annexation in Gaza and the occupied West Bank. The ministry's statement highlighted that such incitement targets the PA as the nucleus of the Palestinian state and is part of ongoing Israeli actions intended to erase the Palestinian cause and the rights of the Palestinian people.
The statement further emphasized that these calls are part of Israel's ongoing disregard for international law, UN resolutions, and signed agreements. Israel has criticized Palestinian efforts to gain international recognition of statehood based on the 1967 borders, with Israeli officials repeatedly calling for sanctions against the PA, accusing it of incitement against Israel. Netanyahu and other leaders have rejected Palestinian statehood, claiming it poses a threat to Israel's existence.
Last month, a UN conference on the two-state solution advocated for full recognition of a Palestinian state and UN membership, a move opposed by Israel and the US. Currently, 148 UN member states recognize Palestine, which was declared in exile in 1988. Israel is also facing mounting international criticism over its ongoing military campaign in Gaza, where more than 61,400 people have been killed since October 2023. The war has devastated the enclave, pushing it to the brink of famine.
In November of the previous year, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza. Additionally, Israel is facing a genocide case at the International Court of Justice related to its actions in the enclave.