AL-RAM, West Bank — Senior Fatah official Jibril Rajoub ruled out any Palestinian threats to dismantle the Palestinian Authority (PA). In an exclusive interview with Al-Monitor from his office in Al-Ram, Rajoub said, “The PA will never be disbanded. The PA was and will remain a national achievement and national necessity. Dissolving it is not on the agenda of the political leadership.”
Rajoub’s comments contradict repeated warnings from Palestinian officials that they were considering dissolving the PA. The latest warning came Jan. 5 from chief negotiator Saeb Erekat. In April 2014, The New York Times reported that President Mahmoud Abbas had also threatened to dismantle the PA if the peace talks led by US Secretary of State John Kerry collapsed.
Rajoub said that security coordination with Israel had dropped to “zero” since the peace talks collapsed last April, and that it was a “matter of days or weeks” before the suspension in security coordination is officially announced.
The interview also touched on Palestinian perceptions of the PA, after a survey in early December revealed that 81% of Palestinians believe that corruption exists in the PA. Rajoub rejected these harsh charges. “There is an exaggeration. I don’t think this is the reality. Maybe there is here and there, but this happens everywhere.” On Dec. 23, Jordan extradited a PA official accused of embezzling millions of dollars.
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