The Palestinian Authority has decided to cut ties with the Middle East Quartet, Arab media reported on Tuesday, following a report it issued that cited Palestinian incitement as a major obstacle to ending the conflict.
The London-based pan-Arab newspaper Al Hayat reported that Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas decided to stop working with the Quartet — the United States, European Union, Russia and the United Nations — following a series of disappointments in Ramallah in the group’s work.
Abbas reportedly informed the central committees of both the Palestinian Liberation Organization and his party Fatah of the decision. The decision was confirmed to the paper by Fatah Central Committee member Mohammed Ashtiya.
On Friday, the Quartet released a long-awaited report on the peace process, which, for the first time in a major international forum, cited Palestinian incitement against Israel as a major obstacle to ending the conflict.
The report accused Hamas and Fatah of encouraging terror attacks against Israelis. It was also critical of Israeli policies, including settlement building, demolition of Palestinian homes and confiscation of land.
PLO secretary general Saeb Erekat, who is also the lead Palestinian negotiator, expressed disappointment that the report criticised both sides rather than only Israel: “It does not meet our expectations as a nation living under a foreign colonial military occupation”.
