Abbas says Palestinian Authority will ignore prior agreements with Israel

NEW YORK, Sept. 30 (UPI) -- Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Wednesday dropped a bombshell during his address to the United Nations. He said the Palestinian Authority will no longer abide by agreements it's signed with Israel -- because Israel isn't abiding by them either.

Abbas took the dais Wednesday to air his grievances in his address the General Assembly. Abbas spoke on the first day the Palestinian flag was raised at the U.N. as a non-member observer state.

"As long as Israel is not committed to its signed agreements, we for our part are not responsible for our agreements, and Israel must take full responsibility for its occupation," Abbas said. "Israel must resume its role as an occupying power and bear responsibility for its conduct."

Abbas indicated that prior agreements between the two sides will be null and void as long as the Israeli government also continues to ignore them. The Palestinian leader said the Jewish state, for example, continues to build settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem and repeatedly fails to respect Palestinian rights.

"We cannot continue to be bound by these signed agreements with Israel and Israel must assume fully all its responsibility as an occupying power," he said.

Abbas said it is unreasonable to expect the Palestinian Authority to adhere to prior peace agreements -- that include the Oslo I and Oslo II accords, which were struck in the mid-1990s with the assistance of President Bill Clinton -- when the Israeli government is not.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu responded Wednesday by saying he doesn't think the Palestinian leader even really wants a peace agreement.

"We expect and call on the (Palestinian) Authority and its leader to act responsibly and accede to the proposal of the prime minister of Israel and enter into direct negotiations with Israel without preconditions," Netanyahu said. "The fact that [Abbas] -- time and again -- has refused to do so is the best possible proof of the fact he does not intend to reach a peace agreement."

Netanyahu said he felt Abbas' remarks were "deceitful and encourages incitement and lawlessness in the Middle East."

During his address, Abbas also said that while the Palestinian Authority appreciates its observer status, he thinks it should be a full member.

"Palestine, which is an observer State in the United Nations, deserves full recognition and full membership," he said. "We can't accept the status quo."

Abbas' remarks Wednesday could mark a substantial shift in the peace process between Israel and the Palestinian Authority, which has been contentious since the 1967 Six-Day War tripled the territory in the region under Israeli control.

The Palestinian leader's comments came on the first day the Authority's flag was raised at the United Nations as a non-member observer state -- an acknowledgement approved by the U.N. last month.