Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu is holding Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas personally responsible for this morning’s rocket attack on southern Israel.
The Prime Minister’s Office issued a statement following the attack, saying that Israel holds Abbas, who was formerly the head of the Ramallah-based PA government that controlled parts of Judea and Samaria, responsible for the launch of any rocket fired at Israeli towns and cities by terrorists in Gaza.
Abbas remained at the helm when the new Palestinian Authority unity government (PUG) was formed recently between his PA government, led by his Fatah faction and the Hamas terrorist organization that rules Gaza.
Abbas vowed during the inauguration ceremony that the new government would recognize the State of Israel, uphold all agreements signed by former PA governments, and reject violence and terrorism. On the basis of his pledge, the United States and the European Union both expressed firm support for the new PUG.
Wednesday’s rocket attack on southern Israel was the second to be fired from Gaza since the new government was inaugurated.
Like its Hamas ally, the Iranian-backed Islamic Jihad terrorist group has vowed “weapons will remain in our hands . . . in order to liberate all of Palestine,” the group’s leader, Khaled Al-Batesh, told ‘Palestine’ magazine this past Sunday.
Although the PUG currently is comprised only of ministers who are technically neutral and not affiliated with any terror organization, five ministers from Gaza backed by Hamas were sworn into office Monday via video hookup.