IDF commander to Palestinian leadership: It's not too late to stop this

Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories condemns incitement, spate of terrorism.

By YAAKOV LAPPIN
Maj.-Gen. Yoav Mordechai (photo credit: Wikimedia Commons)
Maj.-Gen. Yoav Mordechai
(photo credit: Wikimedia Commons)
During a press conference given to foreign media outlets on Wednesday, the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories, Maj.-Gen. Yoav Mordechai, told the Palestinian leadership that "it is not too late to stop the deterioration [of the security situation]."
Mordechai condemned the incitement that is fueling the spate of terrorism attacks, saying that the "word is more harmful than the sword."
He referred to the 15-year-old Palestinian teenager who attempted to stab Israelis near Yizhar, saying, "When she was asked who sent her, she replied: 'No one.' Palestinian youths are being fed incitement and are subject to deceitful brainwashing regarding events on the Temple Mount," he said.
He also accused Hamas of exploiting the violence to undermine the stability of the Palestinian Authority. There has been no change in the status quo on the Temple Mount, and there will be no change.
The IDF is safeguarding daily life in the West Bank he said, and is "distinguishing between the [Palestinian] people and terrorism."