Netanyahu Lambastes Abbas Over Letter To Glick Assailant

YERUSHALAYIM (Hamodia Staff) —

Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu blamed Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas for continuing violence, citing “a letter of encouragement and support” from Abbas to the family of Mu’taz Hijazi, the man who shot Yehuda Glick last week.

Speaking at a Likud meeting, Netanyahu said, “I am acting in every way to calm the atmosphere around Har Habayis, but Abbas is adding fuel to the fire.”

Netanyahu said that such a letter means Abbas is “encouraging and supporting others who wish to do criminal acts like [shooting Glick].” Hijazi, who was killed hours after the attack in a shootout with police, was praised by Abbas as a “martyr” in the letter to his family.

“The international community is silent as [Abbas] encourages continued incitement, rioting and violence. We will not be quiet and continue speaking the truth and defending our rights,” Netanyahu declared.

In his efforts to restore calm, Netanyahu reportedly met secretly with Jordan’s King Abdullah over the weekend. The two agreed to increase cooperation in order to calm tensions at the site, according to the Kuwaiti newspaper. The paper also said Netanyahu promised to restrict Jewish access to the site.

The Prime Minister’s Office on Monday declined to comment on the report.

Meanwhile, Yehuda Glick underwent a fourth surgery Monday morning at the Shaare Zedek Hospital in the capital.

Surgery department chairman Prof. Petachia Reisman described Glick’s progress: “This morning we finished the fourth surgery that included restoration and improvements to the abdominal wounds, and which will allow us in the coming days to start to wake him up.

“We really hope that in the coming days it will be possible to wean him off of the artificial respirator, but it is important to understand that he still has not left the danger, and there may be other pitfalls in the road,” emphasized the professor.

Nevertheless, Reisman added that “there is a progressive improvement in his condition. We have no evidence of significant neurological damage, and we hope that in the end of the process he will be able to return to full functioning.”

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