Political sources in Tel Aviv have voiced concern over the United States dealing with Palestine “as if it were a state.”
This was revealed in the US State Department’s “2020 Fiscal Transparency Report,” in which it assesses countries that receive US assistance and whether they meet the minimum fiscal transparency requirements, as well as means of fighting corruption in these states.
The name mentioned in the US list did not specify Palestine and did not refer to it as a state, it instead referred to it as the “Palestinian Authority” (PA).
The list included the PA as one of other 64 states that do not meet the minimum fiscal transparency requirements, compared to 76 countries that do, according to Washington.
This has prompted the ruling right-wing in Israel to respond with concern about the list even though Washington, of course, has not officially recognized Palestine as a state.
According to Israel’s Maariv newspaper, Israeli officials have expressed concern and shock over the document, saying they know how things are run in the US.
“Nothing is coincidental in the US administration,” the officials noted.
They stressed that the mere listing of the PA as one of 141 assessed countries is considered a message that reflects a new American approach that considers it a state.
The Israeli government still suffers sharp differences among the parties over US President Donald Trump's so-called Deal of the Century Middle East peace proposal and the annexation plan it includes.
The plan stipulates annexing about 30 percent of the Israeli-occupied West Bank, most notably parts the Jordan Valley, the northern Dead Sea and lands on which settlements are built, and imposing Israel’s sovereignty over these areas.
Blue and White party’s Minister of Science and Technology Izhar Shay slammed Friday the unilateral annexation, stressing that “it does not serve Israel’s security and strategic interests.”
He expressed support for Trump’s “peace plan,” noting that it includes all the elements needed for a stable and secure peace and ensures Israel’s existence for many years as a Jewish democratic state.
It also provides Palestinians with a full-fledged, demilitarized state dedicated to achieve safety and well-being.
He, however, criticized its unilateral implementation, stressing that ignoring the Palestinians will cause irreversible damage.
“It will undermine stability in the Middle East, affect the peace treaty with Jordan and may cause casualties among Israelis, harm the economy and diminish Israel's international position,” Shay said.