Israeli prime minister wants Palestinian government shunned
JERUSALEM – Israel’s prime minister on Sunday urged the world to shun the emerging Palestinian unity government due to its ties to the Hamas militant group, rejecting Palestinian pledges that it will be a government of technocrats that will accept peace agreements with Israel and eschew violence.
The comments by Benjamin Netanyahu set the stage for what is likely to be a tough battle for international opinion in the coming weeks. While Israel has made clear it will reject the new government, the reactions of the European Union and United States, which send the Palestinians hundreds of millions of dollars in aid each year, will be critical in determining whether it can survive and whether Israel will be forced to deal with it.
Netanyahu told his Cabinet on Sunday the Palestinian government will “strengthen terrorism.”
“Hamas is a terrorist organization that calls for the destruction of Israel and the international community must not embrace it,” he said.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said over the weekend that he will formally present the new government today, a move meant to end a seven-year rift between his Fatah movement and Hamas.
The Palestinians have been divided between two governments since Hamas wrested control of the Gaza Strip from Abbas’ forces in 2007, leaving the president in charge only of autonomous areas of the West Bank.
The rift is deeply unpopular among Palestinians, and presents a serious obstacle to establishing a Palestinian state, but both factions now have incentives to finally repair ties.
Hamas is in the midst of a major financial crisis due to a blockade imposed by Israel and Egypt, while Abbas is in need of an accomplishment following the collapse of peace talks with Israel in late April.