Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netaynahu has condemned the notion of a united Palestinian government, calling on the US and certain European nations to demand that the Palestinian factions (notably Hamas and Fatah) remain divided.
According to Netanyahu, his government is “strenuously opposed” to the idea of a united Palestine. He added that he believes any such deal would effectively kill the peace process between Israel and the Palestinain Authority.
PA President Mahmoud Abbas had recently toyed with the idea of rapprochement with Hamas, and some Israeli officials had previously suggested the lack of a unified Palestinian leadership made peace negotiations futile, since Hamas was constantly kept on the outside despite having broad influence in the Gaza Strip.
The PA has yet to respond to Netanyahu’s warning, but it is unlikely to be a serious issue for them. Since the last talks between the two sides were over six months ago and the Israeli government has repeatedly panned the idea of a peace agreement since, it seems the process is already pretty well dead.
