BICOM

Israel’s Defence Minister Moshe Ya’alon yesterday said that Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas must disarm Hamas or else the Palestinian unity agreement would be a deception.

Speaking to foreign military attaches serving in Israel, Ya’alon addressed Abbas’s announcement on Sunday of a Palestinian unity government. Abbas insists it is a government of non-affiliated technocrats, although it is backed by both his own Fatah faction and Hamas, which is committed to Israel’s destruction and is classified as a terror organisation by both the United States and European Union (EU). Despite the unity pact, many issues remain unresolved, particularly security cooperation, given that Hamas and Fatah currently run separate and exclusive security regimes in the Gaza Strip and West Bank respectively. The Hamas forces have launched numerous attacks against Israel while Fatah’s West Bank security apparatus cooperates with Israel’s army, often against Hamas activity.

Ya’alon said yesterday that, “If [Abbas] doesn’t disarm Hamas, the reconciliation would be a misrepresentation intended to deceive the world.” He added that, “while we all yearn for peace, we do not deceive ourselves.”

In a further indication of the uncertainty over implementing the Palestinian unity deal, riots were reported yesterday outside several Gaza Strip banks. Some of the 40,000 Hamas-employed civil servants, who had expected to be placed on the Palestinian Authority (PA) pay roll, were turned away as they attempted to collect their salaries and blocked bank entrances as a result.

The diplomatic fallout from the new Palestinian unity government continued yesterday. On Wednesday, Israel’s Housing Minister Uri Ariel said that in response to Abbas’s announcement, tenders have been issued for the construction of 1,500 housing units in major West Bank settlement blocs, areas which most assume will remain part of Israel under any future peace deal. The EU yesterday said that it is “deeply disappointed” by Ariel’s announcement and added, “We call on the Israeli authorities to reverse this decision and to direct all their efforts towards an early resumption of the peace talks.”