World Jewish News

Israel cancels planned peace talks meeting after Fatah-Hamas unity deal announced

Israel cancelled a planned meeting Wednesday night with Palestinian officials over extending the negotiations in an apparent response to the earlier announcement of a Fatah-Hamas reconciliation.
In recent days Justice Minister Tzipi Livni and PLO chief negotiator Saeb Erekat have met on several occasions looking for a way to extend the talks past next Tuesday's deadline.
The decision to cancel Wednesday's meeting came after a meeting in the Prime Minister's Office dealing with the Hamas-Fatah move, and how Israel should respond.
The two party leaders who said they would only stay in the coalition to advance peace talks, Finance Minister Yair Lapid and Justice Minister Tzipi Livni, blamed the Palestinians for their cancelation Wednesday.
Livni, the chief Israeli negotiator, called the agreement between the Palestinian factions problematic, saying they hurt efforts for peace.
"For years, Hamas refuses to accept the Quartet's conditions, which include recognition of Israel, and end to violence and recognizing previous agreements signed by Israel and the Palestinians," Livni added.
The Justice Minister said Israel must examine the Hamas-Fatah agreement's meaning and decide what to do next.
Lapid pointed out in a speech to the European Jewish Congress that Hamas is "a jihadi terror organization that is proud of killing civilians – women, children, the elderly – just because they're Jewish.
"If the Palestinians really want a treaty with Israel…how did they not demand from Hamas to say it is abandoning terror, to commit to not hurting innocent people and to follow international law?" he asked.
Lapid continued: "How can they want to reach an agreement with us while signing an agreement with people who swear to kill us? How do you want a country next to ours, with those people? What kind of state do you want to establish with them? The Finance Minister posited that the Palestinians don't really want a state, which takes more than a vote in the UN.
"Creating a state – and we know this better than most nations – comes from the lack of drama in normalcy, from building an electric company, collecting taxes, fighting corruption, building streets and schools, fighting terror," Lapid added. "For the last two decades, the Palestinians were given endless opportunities to do all that and they avoided them all." According to Economy Minister Naftali Bennett , the Palestinian Authority turned into a terrorist organization following the Fatah-Hamas agreement.
"We don't talk to murderers," Bennett stated. "The agreement between Fatah, Hamas and Islamic Jihad brings the Middle East to a new diplomatic era. The Palestinian Authority turned into the largest terrorist organization in the world, 20 minutes from Tel Aviv." According to Bennett, Israel shouldn't negotiate with terrorists, just as the US does not talk to Hamas, Islamic Jihad or Al Qaeda.
Transportation Minister Yisrael Katz said Palestinian Authority Mahmoud Abbas' common denominator with Hamas is hatred of Israel and the Jewish people.
"This is a slap in the US and its Secretary of State's face," Katz told Army Radio. "Abbas said no to peace and no to real negotiations." Deputy Foreign Minister Ze'ev Elkin remarked that the agreement "once again shows the true united goal of Hamas terrorists and Fatah leaders: To destroy the Jewish State.
"There's no reason to be surprised that someone who wouldn't even discuss recognizing a Jewish state in any borders and pays massive salaries to Palestinian terrorists who murdered Israelis and sit in Israeli prison found his natural place in a bear hug with Hamas murderers," Elkin added.
On the left, opposition leader Isaac Herzog (Labor) said the reconciliation is the result of Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu's lack of initiative.
"The burden of proof on [the agreement's] meaning is on Abbas," Herzog stated. "Its advantage is that it may include Gaza in future agreements with the Palestinians." Meretz leader Zehava Gal-On said Netanyahu pushed Abbas toward Hamas and then asked the PA president to choose between Hamas and Israel.
"This request goes against Israeli interests. Any reconciliation between Gaza and the West Bank is necessary, as long as any agreement between Abbas and Israel includes Hamas, which would include the end of violence [from Gaza]," she explained.

By HERB KEINON, LAHAV HARKOV

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