Fatah and Hamas terror groups met this past month to finalize a partnership between the two organizations.
In this handout photo provided by Khaled Meshaal’s Office of Media, Palestinian President and leader of Fatah Mahmoud Abbas (C) and the leader of Hamas Khaled Meshaal (L) meet November 24, 2011 in Cairo, Egypt. The two leaders announced a new partnership between their two political parties. (Photo by Mohammed al-Hams/Khaled Meshaal’s Office of Media)
Hamas, of course, calls for the destruction of Israel in their charter.
This week US Defense Secretary Leon Panetta told Israel to get back “to the damn table” and negotiate with these killers.
VOA reported:
The top U.S. defense official is warning Israel it cannot afford to further isolate itself from Arab neighbors in the Middle East.
During a forum in Washington late Friday, U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said Israel needs to start by getting back “to the damn table” and negotiating peace with the Palestinians. He also called on Israel to mend its fraying relationships with traditional partners like Turkey, Egypt and Jordan.
Some Israeli leaders have viewed the Arab Spring, and uprisings like the one that toppled long-time Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak, as a threat to regional stability as well as to Israel’s security. But Panetta urged Israeli officials to reject that way of thinking.
Panetta also blamed American ally Israel for its isolation.