Israeli PM slams Abbas over Hamas-Fatah deal

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday condemned Palestinian National Authority (PNA) President Mahmoud Abbas for signing a unity government agreement with Hamas earlier in the day in Doha, Qatar.“It’s either peace with Hamas or peace with Israel,” Netanyahu said.According to the deal, signed in the presence of Qatari Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani, a unified transitional government will be formed for the West Bank and Gaza Strip and be headed by Abbas.But Netanyahu said the deal broke the existing Oslo Accords between the Palestinians and Israel.“Hamas is a terror organization that strives for the elimination of Israel, and leaning on Iranian support,” Netanyahu said in a Likud party meeting.“I have said many times before that the Palestinian Authority must choose between an alliance with Hamas and peace with Israel,” he said, adding that “Hamas and peace doesn’t go together.”The agreement comes some two weeks after the failure of a series of five exploratory talks between Israel and the PNA held in Amman, Jordan. Netanyahu mentioned that efforts were made in recent weeks to get the long-stalled peace talks back on track.“If Abu-Mazen (Abbas) is to fulfill what was agreed upon in Doha, he then chooses to abandon the road to peace and to team up with Hamas,” Netanyahu said.