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 Israelconsole.log("catid body is "+catID);if(catID==120){document.getElementsByClassName("divConnatix")[0].style.display ="none";var script = document.createElement('script'); script.src = 'https://player.anyclip.com/anyclip-widget/lre-widget/prod/v1/src/lre.js'; script.setAttribute('pubname','jpostcom'); script.setAttribute('widgetname','0011r00001lcD1i_12258'); document.getElementsByClassName('divAnyClip')[0].appendChild(script);}else if(catID!=69 && catID!=2){ document.getElementsByClassName("divConnatix")[0].style.display ="none"; var script = document.createElement('script'); script.src = 'https://static.vidazoo.com/basev/vwpt.js'; script.setAttribute('data-widget-id','60fd6becf6393400049e6535'); document.getElementsByClassName('divVidazoo')[0].appendChild(script); }Thus, 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.
