Hussein al-Sheikh, the Secretary-General of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), said today that the Palestinian leadership has decided to boycott the meeting of the Palestinian-Israeli Higher Economic Committee meeting. He said the decision comes in response to the decision of the Israeli government to accelerate settlement construction in the West Bank, including authorizing far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich to approve settlement orders. Al-Sheikh said in a tweet that the Palestinian leadership will also consider a number of measures regarding the relationship with Israel. Earlier today, the Israeli occupation government approved a decision authorizing the head of the Religious Zionist Party and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich to issue preliminary approval for planning and building in the Israeli settlements, in addition to expediting the procedures for expansion of settlements. The Israeli public broadcaster Kan said that the decision requires that construction plans in the settlements be advanced without the approval of the Israeli political echelon, contrary to the situation that has existed for 25 years.
Source: En – Palestine news & Information Agency – WAFA