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November 23, 2020, 07:01 AMlatest revision November 23, 2020, 09:12 AM
SAID KHATIB / AFPPalestinians from the Izz-Al Din Al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of the Hamas movement, in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip on September 10, 2020.
Hamas demands clarifications from Riyadh on ‘dangerous’ meeting between Netanyahu, Pompeo and MbS
The Gaza-based Hamas terrorist group lashed out Monday at Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s visit to Saudi Arabia.
The trip, which saw Netanyahu meet with US State Secretary Mike Pompeo and, in a first, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, was “dangerous,” Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhr declared Monday.
It also came as an “insult” to Arabs, he added, saying that Riyadh now must come up with a clarification on what had happened, accusing Saudi Arabia of affecting the Palestinian’s rights.
The statement followed a historic visit made by Netanyahu and Mossad chief Yossi Cohen on Sunday, when the two headed to the Saudi city of Neom for the secret high-profile meeting.
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According to a source cited by the Wall Street Journal, the talks were focused on the Iranian aggression and on a possible Israeli-Saudi normalization.
The negotiations reportedly did not result in a concrete agreement.
In the meantime, Israeli media reported Monday that the PM neither informed Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi nor Defense Minister and Alternate Prime Minister Benny Gantz of the upcoming visit.
If true, the secrecy mirrors Netanyahu’s handling of Israel’s normalization with the United Arab Emirates, when he also kept Gantz and Ashkenazi in the dark about the upcoming accord.
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Shortly after Hamas issued its condemnation, Saudi Araba’s Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan took to Twitter to deny that Netanyahu had been at the meeting between US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
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