Israeli prime minister Binyamin
Netanyahu has rejected a
Palestinian unity agreement,
calling it a
"tremendous blow to peace".
His comments on Wednesday
come after representatives of
Palestinian factions met in the
Egyptian capital, Cairo, to mark
a landmark reconciliation pact
signed a day earlier.
Khaled Meshaal, the leader of
the Hamas movement, and
Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian
president and leader of
Fatah, attended a ceremony,
meeting face-to-face for the
first time since 2006.
"What happened today in Cairo is
a tremendous blow to peace and
a great victory for terrorism,"
Netanyahu told reporters during
a visit to London.
He criticised Palestinian president
Mahmoud Abbas for striking a
deal with Hamas.
"The only way we can make
peace is with our neighbours
who want peace. Those who
want to eliminate us, those who
practice terror against us, are
not partners for peace,"
Netanyahu said.
Netanyahu added that a great
struggle was under way in the
Middle East "between the forces
of democracy and moderation
and the forces of tyranny and
terror".
"I think the fate of the Middle
East and the fate of peace
hangs in the balance [depending
on] which force wins out."
'No to blackmail'
Abbas brushed off Netanyahu's
criticism and launched a scathing
attack on Israel, saying that
"we reject blackmail and it is no
longer possible for us to accept
the [Israeli] occupation of
Palestinian land".
He also said reconciliation with
Hamas was an internal
Palestinian affair.
"They are our brothers and
family. We may differ, and we
often do, but we still arrive at a
minimum level of understanding."
Abbas also said Israel cannot
continue to act as "a state
above the law" and called for an
end to construction in Jewish
settlements on lands the
Palestinians want for a future
state.
"Mr. Netanyahu, you must choose
between settlements and
peace," he said.
Britain has cautiously welcomed
the agreement.
"We hope that Palestinian unity
between Fatah and Hamas will be
a step forward," prime minister
David Cameron's spokeswoman
said.
"Clearly we will judge any
Palestinian government on its
actions. We want the Palestinian
government, if it emerges, to
reject violence and engage in a
meaningful peace process."
Cameron also said Britain
believed the wave of Arab
uprisings had brought an
opportunity to push forward the
Middle East peace process.
Meanwhile, many Palestinians see
a reconciliation between Fatah
and Hamas as crucial for their
drive for an
independent state in territories
Israel occupied in the 1967 war.
Fatah and Hamas have been
bitterly divided since June 2007
when Hamas took over the Gaza
Strip, routing Fatah loyalists
that effectively split the
Palestinian territories into two
separate entities with separate
governments.

Land they want for future state?

Palestine, a state?

I want King David Hotel in Jerusalem for my future palace as to fulfil my life dream