At least three Palestinian threats have become a recurrent ritual, repeating themselves every few months: (1) the resignation of Mahmoud Abbas from the presidency of the Palestinian Authority; (2) the resignation of top Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat from his post (a step he has already taken countless times throughout his illustrious career, and yet there he remains); and (3) the dissolution of the Palestinian Authority.

So first it should be made clear: A scenario in which the Palestinian Authority is dissolved is possible, but its probability is low, very low. The discussion in recent days over the possibility of the PA being dismantled has been held mainly in the Israeli media, with little to no presence in the discourse of the Palestinian media and among PA leaders.

A story did appear Sunday night in the Palestinian Ma’an news agency, which of course referenced the original Yedioth Ahronoth article. The Ma’an report quoted anonymous Palestinian officials who vehemently asserted that the dissolution idea was being “seriously” considered by the Palestinian leadership in the event that negotiations are not extended. The same officials claimed that “these are not empty threats or hollow talk.” But it is just these insistent statements that make it clear that these are in fact only fanciful statements, at least at this stage.

It is hard to say where these latest threats originated. Israeli officials who seek to alarm the Israeli public over the possibility of negotiations failing could have been behind the statements, or it could have been Abbas’s emissaries.
Read the article in full at Times of Israel.