Settlers slam government
Photo: Gil Yohanan
Settler heads slam plans to boost Fatah
Yesha heads call on government to reverse decision to arm Fatah gunmen loyal to Abbas after Hamas takeover of Gaza
The Yesha Council called on the government Monday to scrap plans to send arms to Fatah activists loyal to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.
The call comes in the wake of a government decision to boost gunmen loyal to Abbas in the aftermath of Hamas' takeover of the Gaza Strip last week.
The Islamic group seized control of Fatah-controlled government buildings in Gaza, emerging as the victor of a prolonged power struggle for control of the coastal territory.
Abbas dismissed the national unity government between his Fatah faction and Hamas, swearing in an emergency government in Ramallah.
In a statement, Yesha heads slammed the government for releasing withheld tax rebates to the new Palestinian government.
The statement said Abbas' Fatah was becoming "Israel's big friend" although the group had failed in the past to prevent terror attacks against Israeli citizens.
"Fatah is a terror group in every sense, even if it controls government bodies … Despite all we have been through, it seems some people are unable to learn from the past," Yesha heads wrote in the statement.
The head of the Binyamina council, Pinchas Wallerstein, said: "If the Arabs were armed the prime minister would be responsible for any spilled Jewish blood."
