Palestinian officials over the weekend denied a report, published late last week in the New York Times and elsewhere, saying that Palestinian peace negotiators had tendered their resignations due to the construction of Israeli homes in territory beyond Israel’s 1948 armistice lines. The New York Times report had cited “an official involved in the process,” and suggested that the resignations – offered by Saeb Erekat and Mohammad Shtayyeh – would likely be rejected by Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas.

The story, had it been confirmed, would not have been the first time that Palestinian officials and negotiators have threatened to resign over various slights. A 2011 incident, also involving Erekat, came at a particularly complicated period. But this time Palestinian officials denied that things ever got even that far:

Palestinian officials denied a report that members of the Palestinian peace negotiating team resigned over Israeli settlement construction announcements. The denial over the weekend followed the report late last week on the Palestinian Maan news website that lead negotiator Saeb Erekat and team member Mohamed Shtayyeh had resigned after Israel said it was building in eastern Jerusalem and the West Bank.

Mohammad Shtayyeh, the other peace negotiator said to have resigned alongside Erekat, was embroiled in a controversy this summer after he posted graphics to his Facebook erasing the existence of Israel. Observers suggested at the time that the sentiment might damage his credibility as a diplomat working to secure a solution under which Israel would securely exist alongside a Palestinian state.

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