Netanyahu Responds to Internal Reconciliation in Palestine
As the Palestinian Authority cabinet was holding a meeting in Gaza, its first since 2014, he took the opportunity to shatter any doubt over whether Israel was in favor of the developments.
“We expect anyone talking about a peace process to recognize Israel and, of course, recognize a Jewish state, and we won’t accept faux reconciliations under which the Palestinian side reconciles at the expense of our existence,” he said, speaking from the settlement of Ma’ale Adumim.
“We have a very straightforward attitude toward anyone who wants to effect such a reconciliation: Recognize the State of Israel, dismantle Hamas’s military wing, sever the relationship with Iran, which calls for our destruction, etc,” he added.
True, while Netanyahu stated only in his demands that the Palestinian government recognize the State of Israel, a moment earlier the prime minister had specifically mentioned recognition of Israel as a Jewish state. Abbas and his government have sworn never to recognize Israel as a Jewish state, yet Netanyahu’s government continues to co-exist with the PA and has sat down twice with it at the negotiating table for peace talks.
Abbas said that absolutely no country would be allowed to interfere in internal Palestinian affairs, except for Egypt, which is facilitating the current unity talks.
Palestinian Prime Minister Rami Al-Hamdallah on Tuesday pledged to take practical steps to disassemble all obstacles standing against national reconciliation and address repercussions of the division, which he described as “painful,” KUNA reported.
During the Palestinian’s governments meeting in Gaza, Al-Hamdallah stressed exerting a direct and wide impact on the lives of citizens in preparation for holding legislative and presidential elections.
The Palestinian premier pledged to work hard to establish a unified institutional structure capable of responding to the needs of citizens, especially children and young people who have suffered the bitterness of division and tolerated the scourge of war and the severity of the siege and isolation.(T/RE1/RS5)
Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)
