Despite Abbas cutting ties, security lines remain open between Israel, PA
Now that coordination with Israel has officially ended, the Palestinian security agencies are sharing indirect messages with their Israeli counterparts.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas announced that he was no longer bound by agreements signed with Israel in May, stating, "The Palestine Liberation Organization and the State of Palestine are absolved, as of today, of all the agreements and understandings with the American and Israeli governments and of all the obligations based on these understandings and agreements, including security ones." Nearly a month later, after initial casting about and uncertainty, a new status quo is emerging. The current indirect cooperation includes continued security alerts from Israel to the Palestinian Authority, but hardly any in the opposite direction. It also includes extra care to prevent friction between the two sides’ security forces.
After Abbas’ May 19 announcement, his associates clarified that it includes security coordination with the IDF and the Shin Bet, which for years has helped thwart terror attacks by organizations like Hamas, Islamic Jihad and others.
