The Jerusalem Post reports: The PA cannot reconcile with Hamas at Israel’s expense, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Tuesday in his first reaction to the latest unity deal between the Palestinian factions.
Netanyahu told the Likud faction in Ma’aleh Adumim that as part of its reconciliation the Palestinian Authority must insist on Hamas recognizing Israel, dismantling its military wing and breaking off ties with Iran. “We expect everyone who talks about a peace process to recognize the State of Israel and, of course, the Jewish state,” Netanyahu said. “We cannot accept fake reconciliation on the Palestinian side that comes at the expense of our existence.”
Sources close to Netanyahu said they were worried a deal between Fatah and Hamas would lead to Hamas and its Iranian patron gaining a foothold in the West Bank, which could make the security situation more challenging. They also warned that with Hamas no longer in control of Gaza it could return to acting solely as a terrorist group and not as a sovereign that must take responsibility.
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