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Netanyahu tells Hamas to disarm and recognise Israel
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has demanded that Hamas recognise the State of Israel and disband its military wing in response to attempts by the Palestinian Authority (PA) and Hamas to create a national unity Government.
Speaking at a Likud party faction meeting, Netanyahu said: “We expect anyone who talks about a peace process to recognise the State of Israel… We are unwilling to accept bogus acts of reconciliation where the Palestinian side ostensibly reconciles at the expense of our existence.”
In a direct message to Hamas, the Prime Minister demanded that they “recognise the State of Israel, disband the military wing of Hamas, and break off contact with Iran, which calls for our destruction”.
Construction Minister Yoav Gallant agreed with Netanyahu, asking: “Are they willing to accept the existence of Israel in this area? Second, are they going to stop shooting and terrorist actions against Israel? And third, do they look to a future of Palestinians and Jews living side by side in this area? If the answer to these questions is positive, there is a lot to talk about. If the answer to these questions is negative, nothing has changed and this is only a camouflage.”
Other Israeli leaders expressed concern over the reconciliation. Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan said that the reconciliaiton “looks like a trick by Abu Mazen [PA President Mahmoud Abbas],” citing the lack of “an unequivocal demand that Hamas recognise Israel” by the PA.
Education Minister and leader of the Jewish Home party Naftali Bennett called Israel “the ATM for terrorism” as he expressed his scepticism over the reconciliation process. He said: “This isn’t reconciliation, but Abu Mazen is rather joining forces with a murderous terrorist organisation. Transferring money to the Hamas government is akin to Israel transferring money to ISIS.”
PA Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah chaired the PA’s first cabinet meeting in the Gaza Strip since 2007 yesterday. Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi sent a message to the parties over a live video feed saying “the eyes of the entire world are watching your efforts to achieve unity”.
Possible cracks in the reconciliation emerged as sanctions placed on Gaza by the PA were not lifted as a result of the meeting. Hamas Spokesman Fawzi Barhoum said Fatah had promised to announce an end to the sanctions during the meeting.