The head of Israel's domestic security agency warned the cabinet Thursday that excluding the Ramallah-based Palestinian Authority from a future cease-fire deal between Israel and Hamas in Gaza would likely result in intensified terrorism.
According to the Hadashot evening news, Shin Bet security agency Director Nadav Argaman has warned the members of the Diplomatic-Security Cabinet that pursuing cease-fire negotiations with Gaza's rulers without involving Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas "would embolden Hamas in the West Bank and prove to them that terrorism pays."
Hamas, an Islamist terrorist group, ousted Abbas' Western-backed government from the Gaza Strip in a military coup in 2007, effectively splitting from the Palestinian Authority. Since then, the various efforts to reconcile the rival Palestinian factions – the latest brokered by Egypt in late 2017 – have failed.
Argaman warned this week that pursuing a deal with Hamas without the PA's involvement "would undermine the moderates [in the PA] and prove to the Palestinians that, when dealing with Israel, only violence achieves results."
Arab media reported Thursday that the emerging cease-fire agreement being negotiated by Egypt between Israel and Hamas includes a one-year truce as well as several measures meant to alleviate the dire economic situation in Gaza.
According to the report, under the deal, Qatar will pay the salaries of Hamas government officials in Gaza and fund the enclave's power supply. In the past, these payments were made by the Palestinian Authority, but Abbas suspended them earlier this year in a bid to pressure Hamas into ceding control of Gaza.
The deal also includes establishing a "naval corridor" between Cyprus and Gaza, through which goods could be delivered to the enclave, as well as the construction of a port in the Sinai Peninsula, which would operate under Israeli security supervision.
This outline, however, does not include provisions for Abbas to weigh in on future developments in Gaza.
Israeli defense officials expressed concern over Qatar's potential involvement, saying that history has proven that a substantial portion of Qatari funds intended for rehabilitation projects and Hamas wages often gets diverted to fund terrorism.
Egypt is also uneasy about Qatar's potential involvement, Hadashot reported.
Egyptian General Intelligence Service Director Maj. Gen. Abbas Kamel met with senior Israeli defense officials in Tel Aviv on Wednesday to discuss the issue with Argaman and National Security Adviser Meir Ben-Shabbat.
Israeli officials insisted Thursday that contrary to reports in Arab media, the only issue being discussed at this time is a cease-fire, saying it would take months before any broader agreement could be negotiated.
Furthermore, they said, a more comprehensive agreement between Israel and Hamas would only be possible if the truce holds.
Meanwhile, a senior Israeli official denied allegations that the emerging agreement with Hamas does not address the issue of Israeli captives – something that the families of fallen IDF soldiers whose bodies are held by Hamas have insisted be included in any agreement.
"There can be no true agreement with Hamas without the return of our citizens and soldiers, and a guarantee of long-term calm on the border," the official said.
Hamas is holding the remains of Staff Sgt. Oron Shaul and Lt. Hadar Goldin, killed in the Gaza Strip in separate battles in 2014, as well as two living Israeli civilians – Avera Mengistu and Hisham al-Sayed – both men with a history of mental health struggles who crossed into Gaza voluntarily in 2014 and 2015 and were captured by the terrorist group.
The Shin Bet security agency did not comment on the report.
