Israel Cancels Planned Talks with PA Following Hamas-Fatah Deal

Arutz Sheva
By Gil Ronen

Hamas leader Khaled Mashaal with Mahoud AbbasForeign Minister Liberman: This is the end of negotiations. Minister Bennett: The PA has become the largest terror body in the world.

Israel has canceled a planned session of 'peace talks' with the Palestinian Authority (PA) that was scheduled for Wednesday evening, following the announced Hamas-Fatah reconciliation deal.

Initial Israeli reactions to the deal came from the nationalist side of the map.

Deputy Foreign Minister Ze'ev Elkin (Likud-Beytenu) said that the PA “once again has exposed the true unity of purpose between the hamas terrorists and the Fatah leaders – the annihilation of the Jewish state.”

"One should not be surprised that those who refuse to even discuss recognition of the Jewish state in any borders whatsoever, and pays huge salaries to Palestinian terrorists who murdered Israelis and are doing time in Israeli jails, finally found his natural place in the warm embrace of the Hamas murderers.”

Foreign Minister Avigdor Liberman (Likud-Beytenu) said that PA head Mahmoud Abbas “needs to decide if he wants to make peace, and if so – with whom. One cannot make peace both with Israel and Hamas, a terror organization that calls for the annihilation of Israel.

"The signing of an agreement on a unity government of Fatah and Hamas is also the signing of the end of negotiations between Israel and the PA,” he declared.

Liberman's statement echoed a similar sentiment voiced earlier in the day by Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu. Abbas "has to choose," he said. "Does he want peace with Hamas or peace with Israel? You can have one but not the other. I hope he chooses peace, [but] so far he hasn't done so."

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