Israel's Ben-Gvir calls for toppling of PA, labels Abbas 'terrorist'

Israel's far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir called on Sunday for the toppling of the Palestinian Authority (PA), while also calling the PA's leader a "terrorist".

In a post on X, Ben-Gvir said: "I call on the Prime Minister (Benjamin Netanyahu) to present, during the upcoming meeting of the (security) cabinet, immediate, concrete steps to undermine the Palestinian Authority."

He added that this "must be a response to the terrorist Abu Mazen's fantasies about a Palestinian state. The terrorist authority that he heads must be eliminated", referring to PA President Mahmoud Abbas.

Ben-Gvir, a hardliner who has openly called for the annexation of the occupied West Bank and Gaza, has himself been convicted eight times, including for supporting a terror organisation and inciting to racism against Palestinians.

The minister, who has long pushed for Israel to continue its onslaught in Gaza, did not oppose the recent Security Cabinet decision to seize and occupy Gaza City. Israel's Channel 7 reported that Ben-Gvir welcomed the plan as it practically included "the pledge made to him by Netanyahu; the decision includes a path to force Palestinians in Gaza to emigrate".

The channel quoted a source close to the minister as saying that the move to "evacuate one million citizens from Gaza is a very important decision", adding that army chief Eyal Zamir's concerns about the plan were "misplaced".

Ben-Gvir's attack on the PA comes amid reports that the Palestinian leadership is considering unilaterally announcing statehood at the upcoming UN General Assembly in New York in September.   

A Palestinian official confirmed to The New Arab's Arabic-language sister site, Al-Araby Al-Jadeed, that the PA leadership is seriously considering the move, which would be largely symbolic.