Hamas and Islamic Jihad call on the PLO to retract its official recognition of Israel

Doha July 19, 2024(QJ)-Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) issued a joint statement calling on the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) to retract its official recognition of Israel in retaliation for the Knesset’s decision to reject Palestinian statehood.

Leaders of the two armed Palestinian groups met in the Qatari capital, Doha, on Thursday, agreeing to combat Israel’s attempts to “erase the Palestinian cause.”

The statement mentioned that Israel is attempting to deny Palestinians their right to an independent state with East Jerusalem as its capital and their right of return for Palestinian refugees.

The PLO recognized Israel in 1993 when its leader, Yasser Arafat, signed the first Oslo Accord with Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin.