Perilous
Times
Israel threatens 'arsenal of measures' in wake of Fatah
Hamas pact
Israel has threatened to use an "arsenal of measures" against the
Palestinian territories, including withholding £480 million of
taxes and subjecting leaders to humiliating border checks in
retaliation for the Fatah Hamas pact.
Mahmoud Abbas insisted that the inclusion of Hamas made no
difference to the Palestinian Authority's determination to seek a
peace deal with Israel
By Adrian Blomfield, Jerusalem 5:57PM BST 28 Apr 2011
The Telegraph UK
Mahmoud Abbas, the pro-western president of the Palestinian
Authority, was accused of siding with terrorists after his secular
Fatah party agreed on Wednesday to end a long-running schism with
its arch-rival Hamas, the Islamist overlords of the Gaza Strip.
Avigdor Lieberman, Israel's foreign minister, said the deal made
it "inevitable" that Hamas would take over the West Bank leaving
the Jewish state to confront an enemy bent on its destruction on
two fronts.
Under the terms of the unexpected deal, reached after weeks of
secret talks in the Egyptian capital Cairo, Hamas and Fatah, which
fought a brief civil war in 2007, will form a provisional
government that will oversee the preparation of presidential and
parliamentary elections within a year.
While the deal has been hailed in the Arab world and among
ordinary Palestinians, Israel has said it will have nothing to do
with a government that comprises a significant terrorist element.
Mr Lieberman gave warning that Israel would show its displeasure
by directly punishing Mr Abbas and his Prime Minister Salam
Fayyad, who enjoys strong western support.
"With this accord, a red line has been crossed," Mr Lieberman
said. "We have always made clear that we will not negotiate with a
terror organisation. We have to make clear that our words were not
empty threats.
"We have at our disposal a vast arsenal of measures including the
lifting of VIP status for Abu Mazen [Mr Abbas] and Salam Fayyad,
which will not allow them to move freely."
If Mr Lieberman were to make good his threat, the ability of both
men to travel outside the Palestinian Territories would be heavily
circumscribed and they would be subject to the frequently
humiliating security checks that ordinary Palestinians face on a
regular basis.
Even more damagingly, Mr Lieberman threatened to withhold
Palestinian customs levies, which are collected by Israel as the
occupying power, a step that could deprive the Palestinian
Authority of up to a third of its revenues. Israel took the same
measure after Hamas won a parliamentary majority following
legislative elections in 2006.
Accusations of betrayal were also levelled against Mr Abbas by
Ehud Barak, defence minister, who spoke in menacing terms of
Israel's future relationship with the new Palestinian government.
Mr Abbas insisted that the inclusion of Hamas made no difference
to the Palestinian Authority's determination to seek a peace deal
with Israel, saying the transitional government's remit was
restricted to preparations for elections and did not extend to
negotiations.
He also expressed optimism that Hamas would now meet international
demands by recognising Israel's right to exist and disavowing
violence.
In private, some Israeli officials have been cautiously welcoming
of the deal, saying it removed a major obstacle to any
Arab-Israeli peace deal.
Until now, Israel has frequently argued that Mr Abbas did not have
a mandate to reach a peace deal with Israel or to seek
international recognition for Palestinian statehood because he did
not represent the people of Gaza.