Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu commended the Trump Administration in Washington DC on Thursday for reinforcing the Quartet conditions for negotiations with Hamas.
Speaking at a ceremony marking 100 years since the death of NILI heroine Sarah Aaronsohn, held at Beit Aaronsohn in Zichron Ya’akov, Netanyahu praised a statement to media made by U.S. Special Representative to International Negotiations Jason Greenblatt on behalf of the administration.
“I am pleased that President Trump’s envoy, Jason Greenblatt, made it very clear that Hamas must be disarmed, Israel must be recognized and previous international decisions must be honored,” Netanyahu said. “They made it clear that any Palestinian government needs to be committed to these principles.
“We want peace; we want a genuine peace and because of this, we will not conduct negotiations with a terrorist organization in diplomatic disguise.”
Earlier in the day, Greenblatt said in a statement, “All parties agree that it is essential that the Palestinian Authority be able to assume full, genuine, and unhindered civil and security responsibilities in Gaza and that we work together to improve the humanitarian situation for Palestinians living there.”
But he added, “The United States reiterates the importance of adherence to the Quartet principles: any Palestinian government must unambiguously and explicitly commit to nonviolence, recognize the State of Israel, accept previous agreements and obligations between the parties – including to disarm terrorists – and commit to peaceful negotiations. If Hamas is to play any role in a Palestinian government, it must accept these basic requirements.”
The statement was the first official response by the Trump administration to the Egypt-brokered reconciliation deal between the Hamas and Fatah factions.
