Abbas cuts ties with US and Israel over peace plan

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Saturday said the Palestinian Authority had cut ties with both the Israeli and US governments in response to the White House plan for ending the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Abbas made the announcement at a special meeting of Arab League foreign ministers, requested by the Palestinians to discuss the US peace proposal.

The Palestinian leader also said he refused to take President Donald Trump's phone calls and messages before the presentation of the plan, because he knew the US leader "would build on these, (saying) that he consulted with us".

Abbas has been under mounting pressure from ordinary Palestinians and its rivals in the Islamic militant group Hamas to cut off security ties with Israel and the US or even dismantle the increasingly unpopular Authority.

That would leave Israel responsible for the complicated and expensive task of providing basic services to hundreds of thousands of Palestinians in the West Bank.

The Palestinians have made such threats in the past, with few people taking them seriously.

But this time might be different, especially if Israel proceeds with annexation of its West Bank settlements as well as the Jordan Valley, which accounts for roughly a fourth of the West Bank, according to the US plan.

Abbas could also cut off agreements with US intelligence agencies to combat extremism.

There was no immediate comment from US or Israeli officials.