by Israel Hayom
Hamas must recognize Israel, relinquish terrorism and disarm completely before Israel agrees to resume peace talks, cabinet statement says
Israel
said on Tuesday it would not hold peace negotiations with a Palestinian
government dependent on the Hamas terrorist group.
Longtime rival factions Hamas and Fatah sealed a deal
last week in Cairo in which Hamas agreed to cede administrative control
of Gaza, including the key Rafah border crossing, to Palestinian
Authority President Mahmoud Abbas' government.
Under the Egyptian-brokered accord, the
Fatah-backed government headed by Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah will run
Gaza and the West Bank and Palestinian officials said there were no
plans to add Hamas ministers to the government.
Previous reconciliation attempts between
Hamas and Fatah have failed within months, but analysts said the current
deal is more likely to stick, given Hamas' growing isolation from its
donor states and its leaders' realization of how hard it would be to
govern and rebuild Gaza.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu convened the Diplomatic-Security Cabinet on Tuesday to discuss the Palestinian rapprochement.
In a statement released following the
meeting, Netanyahu reaffirmed longstanding Israeli demands that Hamas
recognize Israel and disarm completely.
"Pursuant to previous decisions, the
government of Israel will not conduct diplomatic negotiations with a
Palestinian government that relies on Hamas, a terrorist organization
that calls for the destruction of Israel, as long as it does not fulfill
the following conditions: Hamas will recognize Israel and desist from
terrorism, as per the Quartet conditions; Hamas must be disarmed, and
fallen IDF soldiers and Israeli civilians held by Hamas must be
returned," the statement, posted on the Prime Minister's Office's
website, read.
Other conditions stipulated by Israel
included the following: "The Palestinian Authority must exercise full
security control in Gaza, including at the crossings, and prevent
smuggling; The PA will continue to act against Hamas terrorist
infrastructures in Judea and Samaria; Hamas will sever its ties with
Iran; and Funds and humanitarian equipment will continue to flow into
Gaza only via the PA and the mechanisms that have been established for
this purpose."
During the meeting, Netanyahu said Israel
finds it unacceptable for Gaza to "replicated the Lebanon model,"
referring to the intricate part the Lebanese Shiite terrorist group
plays in Beirut's politics.
Abbas, he said, "Is once again seeking an alliance with an organization whose creed urges Muslims to kill Jews."
A senior diplomatic official told Israel
Hayom that the statement meant the de facto suspension of any move meant
to reignite the Israeli-Palestinian peace process, stalled since 2014,
including those by U.S. President Donald Trump.
The Palestinians, for their part, were unfazed by Israel's decision.
Abbas spokesman Nabil Abu Rudeineh said the
Palestinians would not be swayed by Israel’s statement as it "will not
change the official Palestinian position to move forward with
reconciliation efforts."
He said the deal and the PA's return to
Gaza had been welcomed by major powers including the United States and
this would "achieve the aspirations of our people … ending the
occupation and establishing an independent Palestinian state."
Israel Hayom
Source: http://www.israelhayom.com/2017/10/18/israel-no-peace-talks-with-palestinian-government-reliant-on-hamas/
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