Palestinian officials have announced a resumption of ties with Israel after months of stalemate. Israel and the Palestinian Authority have cut ties since announcing a US plan for peace in the Middle East earlier this year. Were done

Palestinian Minister of Civil Affairs Hussein Al-Sheikh said in a statement on Twitter that President Mahmoud Abbas had called on Israel to abide by the bilateral agreements reached. In light of this, normal relations with Israel are being restored to the previous level.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas had rejected US President Donald Trump's Middle East peace plan in February and cut off all ties with the United States and Israel. Had finished

The Israeli army and security forces under the Palestinian Authority have long been cooperating with each other in the occupied West Bank and other Palestinian territories, and have jointly run a police force. There is also an agreement on intelligence cooperation, and it has continued despite the pro-Israel activities of President Donald Trump's administration since 2017.

In a zoom video conference hosted by the Council on Foreign Relations, Palestinian Prime Minister Mohamed Ishtia said the decision to restore ties with Israel was made in response to a health crisis following the outbreak of the Corona virus.

He said that thousands of Israeli settlers and thousands of Palestinians from the West Bank travel to Israel every day for work. In view of their interactions and contacts, contacts are needed to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.

"Our lives and the lives of the Israelis are interconnected, so we cannot deal with the virus on our own," he said.

Palestinian sources said that relations with Israel would be restored immediately. On the other hand, an Israeli official said that we are very close to the resumption of relations. He exchanged messages between the Israeli Defense Minister and the Palestinian Authority. Cited.

The official, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media, said: "One thing that has helped the Palestinians reach this decision is the election of Joseph Biden as President of the United States."