Palestinian official warns against Israeli, U.S. attempts to normalize ties with Palestinian firms

Palestinian official on Saturday warned against Israeli and American attempts to normalize ties with information technology companies in Palestine.

Israel and the United States have invited Palestinian IT companies to a conference next week in an attempt to overlook the Palestinian leadership and its decision to sever ties with Israel and the U.S., Palestinian Minister of Telecommunication and Information Technology Ishaq Sidr told the official Palestinian radio station Voice of Palestine.

Sidr confirmed that Palestinian companies turned down the invitation, but expressed concern over the possibility that Israel may take measures against the Palestinian telecommunications sector, in retaliation to the boycott of the conference.

On May 19, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas announced the abolition of all agreements and understandings reached with both Israel and the United States, including economic and security cooperation.

Abbas's decision was made in response to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's declaration that his government will annex the Jordan Valley and impose the Israeli sovereignty on several settlements in the West Bank on July.