Palestinians Talk Unity to Foil Peace Plan

YERUSHALAYIM
israel annexation
Senior Fatah official Jibril Rajoub speaks as deputy Hamas chief Saleh Arouri appears on a video screen during a video conference to discuss Israeli annexation, Thursday. (Reuters/Mohamad Torokman)

Fatah and Hamas have repeatedly failed in their attempts to forge a unity government, but on Thursday they made a try at unity to stop the Israeli plans for annexation in Yehudah and Shomron.

“We are announcing today an agreement to topple the ‘Deal of the Century’… there will be popular resistance in which everyone participates,” senior Fatah official Jibril Rajoub said in Ramallah at a press conference, along with Hamas official Saleh al-Arouri by video-link from Beirut. “We will put in place all necessary measures to ensure national unity in efforts against annexation… Today, we want to speak in a single voice,” he continued, according to The Times of Israel.

Arouri has masterminded numerous terrorist attacks against Israeli soldiers and civilians, including the 2014 murder of three Israeli teenagers, which led to a war in Gaza. In 2018, the U.S. State Department issued a $5 million bounty for his capture.

“All the controversial issues on which we differ, we will set those aside… We and Fatah and all the Palestinian factions are facing an existential threat, and we must work together,” said Arouri.

Palestinian terror groups have already threatened violence if annexation occurs. Israeli defense and security officials are monitoring the situation, but there is no consensus on how serious the violence will be, if it comes. In the meantime, they are preparing for a range of scenarios.

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