Prime Minister Netanyahu: Incitement of Terrorism Must Stop
After weeks of deadly terrorist attacks plaguing Israel, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu finally told Palestine’s President Abbas to stop the rhetoric of spreading lies about Israel.
In his remarks with a meeting with Secretary of States John Kerry in Berlin, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel again is under terrorist attack in just one day.
“This morning began – we had an attack in which two terrorists tried to murder a bus full of school children.” – Mr. Netanyahu
Prime Minister Netanyahu underscored that the wave of attacks is driven directly by incitement – incitement from Hamas; incitement from the Islamist movement in Islam; and incitement, from President Abbas and the Palestinian Authority.
PM Netanyahu to President Abbas
With conviction, Prime Minister Netanyahu stressed that it is time for the international community to say clearly to President Abbas to stop spreading lies about Israel.
“Lies that Israel wants to change the status quo on the Temple Mount, lies that Israel wants to tear down the Al-Aqsa Mosque, and lies that Israel is executing Palestinians.” – Mr. Netanyahu
He stressed that the al-Aqsa lie is false. He said Israel remains committed to the status quo which includes protecting all the holy sites.
In addition, Prime Minister Netanyahu highlighted that Israel is acting to protect its citizens as any democracy would in the face of such wanton and relentless attacks.
“We generally hope – we have to stop the terrorism.” – Mr. Netanyahu
He said stopping the incitement is crucial to stopping the terrorism as well.
“And I think it’s time that the international community told President Abbas to stop the incitement and hold him accountable for his words and his deeds.” – Mr. Netanyahu
Netanyahu says Israel respects the “importance of the special role” that Jordan plays at al-Aqsa, since the 1994 peace treaty between their countries.
Looking back: Cause of Israel-Palestine strained relations
In June 2007, the Iran-backed terrorist organization Hamas carried out a violent coup in the Gaza Strip and overthrew the Palestinian Authority and the Fatah party. Since then the group has remained in control of the territory and refused to reconcile with PA President Mahmoud Abbas and his Fatah party or allow new elections to take place.
Hamas also has fired thousands of rockets, missiles and mortars at Israeli civilians from Gaza, turning it into a launching pad for attacks against Israel after Israel uprooted its communities and left all of Gaza in 2005 in hopes of paving the way for an independent Palestinian state. Hamas has smuggled in hundreds of tons of weaponry into the territory. Additionally, Hamas continues to refuse to recognize Israel, and renounce violence.
Israel placed a naval blockade on Gaza to prevent large-scale weapons smuggling and also restricted the entry into Gaza of certain goods, particularly those Hamas has used in the past to build its terrorist infrastructure. On June 20, the Israeli government eased certain restrictions to allow in more civilian goods, except those that may have dual military use.
Video Surveillance Proposal
The US has proposed 24-hour video surveillance around al-Aqsa, as well as other steps to end violence in the area, which has carried on for several weeks.
