Mahmoud Abbas says there’s no reason for Israel to go into Gaza. The “truce,” he says, is holding.
Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas said Thursday that calm had returned to Gaza and he appealed for Israel to refrain from embarking on a large-scale military operation in the coastal strip.
“There is a truce between us and the Israelis, which was impinged on,” he told reporters during a trip to Geneva. “We don’t want … to lay blame on who impinged on the cease-fire, but the important thing is that there is calm and there is nothing there to justify an assault on Gaza.”
Members of the Salah al-Din Brigades fired a Qassam rocket at the western Negev Thursday morning. The rocket landed in an open area, and no damage or injuries were reported.
Palestinian armed factions renewed their commitment to a Gaza Strip truce on Thursday but said rocket barrages from the territory could resume if Israel did not halt military operations in the West Bank.
Once again, the goalposts are moved. The “truce” is now supposed to cover the West Bank, which was never agreed upon in the first place.