Palestinian Authority gives Biden administration 30 objectives for Israel negotiations

The Palestinian Authority (PA) has provided the United States with a number of objectives it seeks to work on in its negotiations with Israel while US President Joe Biden is in office.

The PA has suggested approximately 30 items which relate to regaining its rights as a body, boosting the Palestinian economy and improving its people's circumstances, Haaretz reported on Tuesday.

An individual informed about the discussions told the Israeli daily that Washington, Tel Aviv and Ramallah all consider that such negotiations cannot currently be conducted in the open.

However, the source argued that discreet work on some of the PA's suggestions could occur.

Among its suggestions, the PA has reportedly called for the amount of work permits given to its citizens by the Jewish state to be raised.

This would permit them to seek employment in illegal West Bank settlements as well as within Israel itself.

The PA also suggested relatives from different areas of Palestine and Israel be allowed to reunite, and that building efforts be managed so that normal population increases can be accounted for in Palestinian areas.

In terms of boosting the nation's finances, the PA is also looking to increase the number of permits given to tourists for attractions in areas it administers in the West Bank.

It additionally seeks to create tourism schemes around the Dead Sea and parts of the West Bank that Tel Aviv currently maintains complete authority over.

Concerning fuel, the Palestinians are asking for a pipeline linking it with neighbouring Jordan, allowing fuel to be brought in from there, along with pipeline projects constructed with Israel.

This is accompanied by a suggestion of increased rights to sell goods abroad and the ability to create a Palestinian free-trade area and build electricity generation initiatives, including environmentally friendly ones.

Other items concern the PA's rights as an entity. It has asked for a return to the status quo in the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, though did not specify further.

A halt to illegal settlement building and Tel Aviv's administration of parts of the West Bank known as Area A, which the PA gained autonomy over in the Oslo Accords, are among other requests.

These are joined by an international airport for the West Bank, the freeing of prisoners per an already established mechanism halted in 2014, and the repatriation of Palestinians who died at the hands of Israeli authorities.

News of the Palestinian Authority's suggestions comes amid significant public outrage at PA President Mahmoud Abbas' administration over the death of activist and PA opponent Nizar Banat.

Protests have continued for days since news of his death in Palestinian custody broke, with protesters calling for Abbas' resignation.

A post-mortem found that Banat had died within an hour of being detained and had been physically assaulted on several areas of his body, including his head and neck.