PM Netanyahu: PA Is ‘Arrogant, Lying Organization’

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu slammed the Palestinian Authority Sunday for its failure to condemn the terrorist attacks in Yerushalayim Friday.

“Instead of condemning the attack, the Fatah organization, which is run by Palestinian Authority chief Mahmoud Abbas, issued a statement condemning the Border Guards who killed the terrorists who murdered Hadas Malka, Hy”d. It termed the terrorists ‘heroes’ and ‘martyrs.’ There is no limit to their arrogance and their lies. Now they will reward the families of the terrorists with payments,” Netanyahu said. Malka, 23, was laid to rest late Motzoei Shabbos.

The prime minister made the statement at the weekly cabinet meeting Sunday. The ministers discussed various plans to increase security in the wake of the twin terror attacks in the area of the Damascus Gate in the Old City of Yerushalayim. Among those plans was the implementation of a “sterile zone” in the area of the Damascus Gate, with traffic and pedestrians directed to other entrances of the Old City. Many of the terror attacks in Yerushalayim in recent years have been in the area of the Damascus Gate, which is seen as a flashpoint for tension, as it abuts both Jewish and Arab neighborhoods of the city.

Netanyahu also spoke of the murdered Border Guard officer. “In the name of the government and the people of Israel, I send condolences to the family of Hadas Malka, Hy”d. The family’s suffering is our suffering, and their tragedy is our tragedy.” Netanyahu said IDF forces have been operating in Dir Abu Mashal, the Arab village northwest of Ramallah where the three terrorists — Bara Ibrahim Muhammad Saleh, 19; Adel Hassan Ahmad Anakush, 18; and Osama Ahmad Mustafa Atta, 19 — organized their plot. All three had been previously arrested on security charges.

Among the actions IDF forces took when they entered the village was sealing it, and mapping out the location of the homes of the terrorists’ families in preparation for their demolition. All permits — numbering about 250,000 — for Palestinian Authority residents to enter Israel proper were suspended Friday night. The only permits not canceled were those for Arabs to enter Har HaBayis, to visit the mosques there during the Ramadan observance. In addition, some 350 PA Arabs in Israel illegally were rounded up over Shabbos.

The prime minister also revoked visitation rights for Palestinians that were approved for the month of Ramadan.

Netanyahu called on other countries to condemn the attacks. “The international community must demand that the Palestinian Authority stop paying the families of terrorists, something that just encourages terror,” he said.