RAMALLAH, April 4 (Xinhua) -- Palestinian chief negotiator Saeb Erekat said on Friday evening that President Mahmoud Abbas' decision to join 15 international treaties is not a unilateral move.

"It's not unilateral as Israel claimed, it is an action made by a state that signed on international treaties of which all the other countries are members," Erekat said at a conference.

The Palestinians want to be committed to the treaties that guarantee human rights, banning torture and caring of child and woman rights, he added.

Abbas said on Tuesday that he will sign a request to join 15 UN agencies and international treaties in response to Israel's delay to release the final group of Palestinian long-term prisoners, a move denounced by the Israeli government.

"Signing on the treaties wasn't sudden. It was made after consultations with 27 international and Palestinian experts in law for nine months," Erekat said.

Meanwhile, Erekat revealed that the Palestinian leadership rejected a U.S. appeal to halt applications to join international treaties in order to extend the direct peace talks with Israel for the release of the last group of prisoners.