Netanyahu slams Abbas' condolence for Hijazi family

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu slammed Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas over the latter's condolence letter to the family of a Palestinian killed during an Israeli raid after he allegedly shot and injured a right-wing Israeli activist in Jerusalem.

 

"When we are trying to calm the situation [in Jerusalem], Abu Mazen [Abbas] sends condolences over the death of one who tried to perpetrate a reprehensible murder," Netanyahu said in a statement released by his office on Monday. "The time has come for the international community to condemn him for such actions."

 

Tension intensified in East Jerusalem over the weekend after the funeral for Mu'taz Hijazi who had been suspected of shooting activist Yehuda Glick, known for leading groups of Jews into the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, last week. Israeli forces killed Hijazi during a raid on his East Jerusalem home hours after the shooting.

 

In a letter sent to Hijazi's family, Abbas expressed "anger and condemnation of the outrageous crime committed by the murderous, terrorist gangs in the Israeli occupation army".

 

Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman also criticized Abbas' letter, saying that it "proves that Abu Mazen is a partner, a partner for terror, terrorists and murderers".

 

Israeli police said Hijazi, who reportedly spent several years in an Israeli prison before being released in 2012, had been killed when he opened fire on police while resisting arrest in East Jerusalem.

 

Several current and former Israeli politicians criticised Netanyahu over the weekend, saying his government's policies left the country vulnerable to continued tensions and violence.

 

"Those who have renounced making peace are . . . not patriots," said former Israeli president and Nobel peace laureate Shimon Peres. "It's a shame that the only peace initiative was an Arab intitiative. Where is the Israeli peace initiative?"

Israel's Justice Minister Tzipi Livni told Israel's Channel 2 that in the absence of peace, Israeli politicians should act with a sense of responsibility and avoid making "incendiary" announcements about new settlement projects in a likely reference to Netanyahu's announcement last week about a plan for the construction of 1,060 new settlements in East Jerusalem.

 

On Monday, US Secretary of State John Kerry is scheduled to meet with chief Palestinian negotiator, Saeb Erakat, to discuss a "way forward" for a Palestinian-Israeli peace deal and the situation in the Gaza Strip. State Department spokesperson Jen Psaki said Kerry planned to discuss "lowering tensions in Jerusalem".