12 July 2023; MEMO: US President Joe Biden has told CNN that the Palestinian Authority has "lost its credibility." Biden made the claim earlier this week.
"I think that the fact [is] that the Palestinian Authority has lost its credibility," he said, making clear that this assessment had nothing to do with Israel, but is related to the nature of the PA itself. "It has created a vacuum for extremism… among the Palestinians," he added.
"So, it is not all Israel now in the West Bank, all (which is) Israel's problem. But they are a part of the problem, particularly those individuals in the cabinet who say, 'We can settle anywhere we want; they have no right to be here.'"
The US president told the broadcaster that his administration is talking to the Israelis regularly, trying to damp down what is going on. "Hopefully, [Netanyahu] will continue to move towards moderation and change."
READ: Israel minister accuses Biden of fuelling anti-government protests
Netanyahu's security cabinet decided on Sunday that Israel will work to prevent the collapse of the Western-backed PA, reported Reuters. However, said the agency, the cabinet did not suggest any concrete steps for how it will do this.
Israel has been stepping up its military offensives against Palestinian resistance fighters in the occupied West Bank, where the PA has limited autonomy. Last week, for example, the Israeli occupation forces carried out a major offensive in Jenin, killing 12 Palestinians and wounding over 100, including 20 who are in a critical condition.
Although Israel and its allies in the West describe Palestinian fighters as "terrorists", resistance against a military occupation is entirely legitimate under international law.
