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Gaza terrorists celebrate the end of Operation Protective Edge. (Emad Nassar/Flash90)
The Israeli Prime Minister’s Office denied reports that negotiations are taking place with Hamas. Rumors of a long-term truce were promulgated by both Hamas and the Palestinian Authority.
The Prime Minister’s Office issued a statement Monday night contradicting news reports that Israel and Hamas were close to reaching a long-term truce. The PMO further noted that Israel and Turkey remain far from reconciliation. The rumors, which were promulgated by Hamas, were seemingly confirmed by the Palestinian Authority (PA).
“Israel officially clarifies that there are no meetings with Hamas, whether directly or through third countries or mediators,” the statement read.
The reports, which originated in Turkish and Palestinian media, indicated that Israel would agree to end the siege on Gaza in return for a long-term ceasefire with Hamas. Pro-Hamas newspaper Alresalah featured an interview with the adviser to the Turkish prime minister, indicating that an agreement was imminent. PA head Mahmoud Abbas responded Monday by claiming that meetings took place between representatives of Israel and Hamas in an unnamed African country.
Mavi Marmara activists prepare to attack IDF soldiers. (IDF)
The rumors were also fueled by the recent visits of Hamas head Khaled Mashaal to Turkey and Saudi Arabia. Israeli-Turkish relations were soured after the 2010 Mavi Marmara incident, in which Turkish activists attempted to break the maritime blockade of Gaza. When they were intercepted by the Israeli Navy, the activists ambushed the IDF soldiers, using metal rods and knives. A number of Turks were killed in the ensuing scuffle. Turkey has set lifting the siege of Gaza as a precondition to resuming normal relations with Israel.
“As for relations with Turkey, an agreement is still far off,” the statement indicated.
PA officials were outraged by the news reports and accused Israel of threatening the Palestinian statehood project by tacitly recognizing Hamas. “[A truce agreement] would achieve Israel’s strategic goal of killing the idea of establishing an independent Palestinian state on the 1967 borders, with Jerusalem as its capital,” Fatah spokesman Ahmed Assaf told the Jerusalem Post. “Hamas wants to win Israeli recognition at the cost of the Palestinian national project.”
Walid Awadh of the political office of the Palestinian People’s Party, part of the PLO, told Times of Israel: “This agreement leads us from political divide to [Gaza’s] secession, making it impossible for Gaza to be part of the future Palestinian state,” adding that any long-term agreement must result from “unified Palestinian representation, tying the future of Gaza to that of the West Bank.”
By: Sara Abramowicz, United with Israel
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