Netanyahu on Fatah-Hamas pact: Worthless unless Hamas disarms
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu came out against the Fatah-Hamas reconciliation agreement signed on Thursday in Cairo, saying that “reconciling with a murderous organization that strives to destroy Israel does not bring peace closer, but rather makes it more distant.”
A post on Netanyahu’s “Prime Minister of Israel” Facebook page read: “Israel opposes any reconciliation in which the terrorist organization Hamas does not disarm and end its war to destroy Israel.”
Israel also demands that Hamas return the bodies of the two IDF soldiers, Hadar Goldin and Oron Shaul, and the two Israeli civilians, Abera Mengistu and Hisham al-Sayed, that it is holding.
“There is nothing Israel wants more than peace with all our neighbors,” the post reads. “Reconciliation between Fatah and Hamas makes peace much harder to achieve.”
Netanyahu asked what it means when Fatah reconciles with a terrorist organization that “seeks the annihilation of Israel, advocates genocide, launched thousands of rockets at civilians and digs terror tunnels, murders children, represses minorities, bans LGBT, rejects international obligations, refuses to free Israeli civilians it holds hostage, refuses to return the bodies of Israeli soldiers to grieving mothers and fathers, tortures opposition, mourns bin Laden’s death.”
The post continues: “Reconciling with mass murderers is part of the problem, not part of the solution. Say yes to peace and no to joining hands
with Hamas.”
Just prior to this Facebook post, the Prime Minister’s Office issued a somewhat milder reaction to the reconciliation agreement, saying that it must include compliance with international agreements and the Middle East Quartet’s conditions, which also include Hamas recognizing Israel and forswearing terrorism.
“The continued digging of tunnels, the manufacture of missiles and the initiation of terror attacks against Israel are contrary to the Quartet’s conditions and the US efforts to renew the political process,” the statement read.
According to this statement, as long as Hamas does not disarm and continues to call for Israel’s destruction, Jerusalem will consider it responsible for all terrorist acts originating in the Gaza Strip. In addition, the statement said that Israel “insists that the PA not allow any base whatsoever for Hamas terrorist actions from PA areas in Judea and Samaria or from Gaza, if the PA indeed takes responsibility for its territory.”
Israel will monitor the developments on the ground and act accordingly, the statement reads. •