Defense Minister Ehud Barak told UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon that Israel is worried by the
reconciliation agreement reached between Palestinian factions Hamas and Fatah and demanded that world leaders ensure that Hamas recognizes Israel, in a conversation on Saturday.
Barak told Ban that "Hamas is a terrorist organization that fires rockets and missiles at Israeli communities and only recently used an anti-tank missile against a school bus."
RELATED:Hamas denies group leadership leaving DamascusHaniyeh calls on Fatah to renounce recognition of IsraelThus, he said, Israel expects world leaders, including top officials at
the UN, must demand that any Hamas-Fatah government recognize Israel,
renounce terrorism and agree to honor previous agreements with
Jerusalem. World governments should make those demands a stipulation to
any cooperation with a new Palestinian government, he added.
In their conversation, the defense minister explained to Ban, "it is our
conviction that the PA and Hamas need to explicitly accept these
demands before establishing a joint government." That, he added, must be
heard [before a government is formed] in order to influence the
Palestinians' behavior."
On Friday, the UN secretary-general said that he cautiously welcomed a
unity agreement aimed at ending the rivalry among ruling Palestinian
factions, but stressed that it should not undermine peace with Israel.
"The Secretary-General welcomes efforts being made to promote
Palestinian reconciliation and the important contribution of Egypt in
this regard," UN spokesman Martin Nesirky said in a statement.
"He hopes that reconciliation will now take place in a manner that
promotes the cause of peace, security and non-violence," he said.