Israeli premier criticizes unity deal between Hamas and Fatah

The Palestinian resistance movement of Hamas agreed on Monday to a proposal by Qatari ruler Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani to form a Palestinian unity government with Fatah.

According to the agreement, acting Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas will be the head of the interim national consensus government, which will end a long-running disagreement that had stalled Palestinian reconciliation.

Netanyahu on Tuesday denounced the unity pact between the two Palestinian factions as "a mortal blow to peace and a great victory for terrorism."

The Israeli premier said that if Abbas implements the agreement, "he chooses to abandon the path of peace and join himself to Hamas".

Hamas and Fatah have agreed to hold a meeting with “all other Palestinian political factions” in the Egyptian capital, Cairo, on February 18, to “set the date for the parliamentary and presidential elections.”