MIDEAST: Israelis, Palestinians, differ over Netanyahu's UNGA speech

Record ID: 398713

  • Title: MIDEAST: Israelis, Palestinians, differ over Netanyahu's UNGA speech
  • Date: 29th September 2014
  • Summary: GAZA CITY, GAZA (SEPTEMBER 29, 2014) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF HAMAS SPOKESMAN SAMI ABU ZUHRI WATCHING ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER BENJAMIN NETANYAHU DELIVERING SPEECH AT UNITED NATIONS GENERAL ASSEMBLY (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) HAMAS SPOKESMAN SAMI ABU ZUHRI SAYING: "The declarations by Netanyahu that Hamas and Islamic State are two sides of the same coin is an attempt to distort the i
  • Embargoed: 14th October 2014 13:00
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  • Location: Gaza
  • City:
  • Country: Palestinian Territories
  • Topics: General
  • Reuters ID: LVA9WYEE17DLLBDLJ5VWK02FD05N
  • Story Text: Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank criticised Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's speech at the United Nations General Assembly on Monday (September 29), while Israelis voiced support for their leader.
    In his speech, Netanyahu said a nuclear-armed Iran would pose a far greater threat to the world than Islamic State militants who have seized large swaths of Syria and Iraq.
    On the topic of the peace process between Israel and the Palestinians, he expressed his support for a "historic compromise" with the Palestinians that would bring peace and stability for the Israeli people and the region. But he offered no new details of what such a compromise would envisage.
    An Egyptian-brokered ceasefire in late August ended a 50-day war in the Gaza Strip between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas that controls Gaza.
    Israel began an offensive on July 8 with the aim of halting cross-border rocket salvoes by Hamas and other militants.
    Netanyahu repeated his position that "ISIS and Hamas are branches of the same poisonous tree" and blamed Hamas of war crimes.
    Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri dismissed Netanyahu's allegations.
    "The declarations by Netanyahu that Hamas and Islamic State are two sides of the same coin is an attempt to distort the issues. Hamas is a national Palestinian independence movement. Netanyahu is a child murderer and it's not his right to talk about democracy or freedom. Israel is the leader of terror in the world. Israeli terrorism is a coin with only one side," Abu Zuhri said in Gaza.
    "Netanyahu's accusations Hamas used Palestinian civilians as human shields are false accusations, by which he tries to escape the responsibility for killing more than two thousand, two hundred Palestinian martyrs who were killed during the Israeli offensive on Gaza," he added.
    Meanwhile, in the West Bank city of Ramallah, a member of the Palestinian leadership slammed Netanyahu's peace vision.
    "He talked about reversing the order of peace making and he asked for a new template, which means he wanted to make peace with the Arab world and then it will become easier to make peace with the Palestinians. Which means that he wants to buy more time, to take more land, to destroy the chances of a Palestinian state while getting the rewards of peace by forming an alliance with the Arab world. I don't think the world is that naive. I think people know very well that the reason why there is conflict with the Arab world, is Israel's occupation of Palestine," said Hanan Ashrawi, a member of the leadership of the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO).
    But Israelis voiced support for Netanyahu's speech.
    "I'd like him (Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu) to receive an answer, from those people that talk a lot against Israel, to simply receive an answer - what would you have done if you were us? That's all," said Meir Mor Yosef from Jerusalem.
    "We know the truth and we hope others will also give full recognition to Israel's right to defend itself against terror and recognise the IDF (Israeli army) has been taking lots of measures to prevent civilian casualties," said another Jerusalem resident, Elias Kay.
    The conflict devastated some Gaza districts and killed more than 2,100 Palestinians, mostly civilians, according to the Gaza health ministry. Sixty-seven Israeli soldiers and six civilians in Israel were also killed.
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