Wednesday, October 18, 2017

Israel: No peace talks with Palestinian government reliant on Hamas - Israel Hayom




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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