The Palestinian leadership in the West Bank has threatened to impose a boycott on United Nations peace envoy Nickolay Mladenov, over his attempts to forge a long-term cease-fire agreement between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip that could bypass Mahmoud Abbas’ government. Mladenov, long deemed a fair interlocutor between Jerusalem and Ramallah, has been declared “no longer acceptable” by the Palestine Liberation Organization, which is considered the legitimate representative of the Palestinian people and dominates the Palestinian Authority. PA officials repeatedly have voiced displeasure with ongoing diplomatic maneuvering aimed at partially alleviating the humanitarian situation in blockaded enclave, including Qatar’s recent purchase of $60 million of fuel meant to double the amount of electricity per household in the territory. In this respect, following the outbreak of renewed violence over the weekend along the southern security fence, the Israeli government decided to reverse its decision to permit the transfer of the gas into the Hamas-run region. Concurrently, Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu warned that unless the weekly “March of Return” protests are halted, the Jewish state would respond with “very painful” measures. According to local media, the Israel Defense Forces is preparing for a possible major operation in Gaza, although senior officials claimed that no mission would be launched before next week. Over the past year, Mladenov has played a key role in mediating a simultaneous process geared towards ending the intra-Palestinian divide. To date, though, Abbas has refused to lift sanctions on and reassert control over Gaza so long as Hamas remains armed. Ramallah’s latest move comes amid deep disagreements with the Trump administration, with the PA having declared lead American negotiators personae non gratae.
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