(Gatestone Institute) Khaled Abu Toameh - Saleh Arouri, deputy head of Hamas' political bureau, has welcomed PA President Mahmoud Abbas' latest threat to renounce all agreements and understandings with Israel and the U.S., including security cooperation, adding that the return of "armed resistance" to the West Bank was now possible. "Since day one, we have rejected the Oslo Accords. We have also strongly opposed all security agreements [with Israel]." Abbas' threat is undoubtedly a precious gift not only to his Palestinian political rivals but also to Iran, whose leaders continue to talk about the need for "eliminating the Zionist regime." If Abbas goes through with his threat, that would mean an end to his efforts to prevent Iran's Palestinian proxies, Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad, from extending their control to the West Bank. Abbas could be paving the way for terrorists to kill him and his associates in the West Bank, as they already began to do in 2007 in Gaza and possibly again in a coup in 2014. Israel has been helping Abbas by routinely arresting Hamas members who pose a threat to his government.
2020-05-28 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive