Fatah official: Netanyahu is founding father of Jewish underground terrorists in W. Bank

Jibril Rajoub is not convinced about sincerity of Netanyahu's condemnation of arson that claimed life of Palestinian baby.

By JPOST.COM STAFF
Updated: AUGUST 4, 2015 16:31
Senior Fatah official Jibril Rajoub (photo credit: REUTERS)
Senior Fatah official Jibril Rajoub
(photo credit: REUTERS)
Senior Fatah official Jibril Rajoub said on Tuesday that the Palestinian Authority would not lend a hand to revenge attacks or more bloodshed following last week's vicious arson in the West Bank village of Duma in which a baby, Ali Dawabsha, died after being burned alive. Jewish extremists are suspected in the attack but as of yet no one has been arrested. 
The official told Israel Radio that he was encouraged that the Israeli street has come out against the action but he was less encouraged by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the government,  whose condemnations, he said, were not genuine. 
"Bibi is the neighborhood bully, he doesn't really care [about the deadly arson]," Rajoub said.
"He is the founding father of the terrorists of the Jewish underground in the West Bank," the official added. 
Rajoub said that the Palestinian Authority in the aftermath of the arson attack would not allow anyone to frustrate the PA's diplomatic policies. The official said he could not rule out Palestinian terror attacks by so-called "lone wolf" terrorists. 
He said that if the PA decided to lead the Palestinian street to a confrontation with Israel, the situation would look different to how it looks now.  
The PA said over the weekend that it was planning to file complaints against Israel with the UN Security Council and the International Criminal Court following the arson attack that killed the Palestinian toddler and injured his parents and brother.
Hamas and several other groups, on the other hand, called for avenging the killing of the baby by launching armed attacks against Israelis.
The PA leadership, which held an emergency meeting Friday evening to discuss its response to the arson attack, decided to seek a Security Council resolution condemning settler violence against Palestinians and Israel’s policy of building in the settlements.   
A day before the arson attack in Duma, a senior Israeli security source said that Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas has provided a significant contribution to the stability of the Palestinian Authority and its relationship with Israel.
The high-ranking source, who is highly familiar with Israel’s security activities in the Palestinian territories, described Abbas as “a person with a clear agenda, consistent and coherent, and when I translate that into practical steps, it is good for us.”
“I think he is a stabilizing factor. Violence for him is a redline. I truly believe that he does not want violence. He opposes an intifada, he is against shooting attacks on roads [in Judea and Samaria],” the source said.  
Yaakov Lappin and Khaled Abu Toameh contributed to this report.