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In his speech before the U.N. General Assembly on September 30, 2015, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas declared "that we cannot continue to be bound by these agreements, and that Israel must assume all of its responsibilities as an occupying power, because the status quo cannot continue, and the decisions of the Palestinian Central Council last March are specific and binding."
Following are excerpts:
Mahmoud Abbas: Ladies and gentlemen, the transitional Oslo Accord and its annexes, along with the subsequent agreements signed with Israel, stipulated that they would be implemented within five years, ending in 1999 with full independence for the state of Palestine, and with the termination of the Israeli occupation. But Israel stopped the completion of the stipulated withdrawal of its forces from the areas classified as "B" and "C," which represent 60% of the territory of the West Bank, including Jerusalem. Instead, it has intensified its settlement activities everywhere, and has violated all the agreements. It has violated all the signed agreements, some of which were signed by the current prime minister.
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At the same time, Israel refuses to review the economic agreements that control the ability of the Palestinian economy to develop and be independent, it is determined to impose dominance on our economy, similar to its military and security dominance, and it rejects the right of the Palestinian people to progress, and to utilize its natural resources. By doing so, Israel has destroyed the foundations upon which the political and security agreements are based, above and beyond the measures taken by previous successive Israeli governments which stalled the transitional phase aimed at achieving the independence of our state, and it has perpetrated other violations, which have made the situation unsustainable.
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Therefore, on this basis, we declare that as long as Israel refuses to commit to the agreements signed with us, [a refusal] that renders us an authority in form only, without real powers, and that as long as Israel refuses to cease settlement activities, and to release the prisoners in accordance with the agreements, this leaves us no choice but to insist that we will not remain the only ones committed to the implementation of these agreements, while Israel continuously violates them. We therefore declare that we cannot continue to be ground by these agreements, and that Israel must assume all of its responsibility as an occupying power, because the status quo cannot continue, and the decisions of the Palestinian Central Council last March are specific and binding. As long as Israel does not adhere to all the agreements and has done with them, we, for our part, will not be bound by the agreements, and Israel must assume its full responsibilities.
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