Netanyahu tosses 'Hamas policy paper' into a bin as he blast's the group's claim it's dropping its longstanding call for Israel's destruction as 'fake news'

  • Benjamin Netanyahu symbolically tossed a Hamas policy paper into a bin
  • In document last week Hamas said it was dropped its call for Israel's destruction
  • But said it still rejected the Jewish state's right to exist and continued to back 'armed struggle' against it
  • The Israeli government has said the document is aimed to deceive the world Hamas is becoming more moderate 

By Reuters

Published: | Updated:

Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu symbolically tossed a Hamas policy paper into a bin that set out an apparent softening of Palestinian Islamist group's stance towards the country.

In a document issued last week Hamas said it was dropping its longstanding call for Israel's destruction, but said it still rejected the Jewish state's right to exist and continued to back 'armed struggle' against it.

The Israeli government has said the document is aimed to deceive the world Hamas is becoming more moderate.

Sitting behind his desk with tense music playing in the background, the Israeli PM said that in its 'hateful document', Hamas 'lies to the world'

Sitting behind his desk with tense music playing in the background, the Israeli PM said that in its 'hateful document', Hamas 'lies to the world'

He then scrunched up the piece of paper before tossing it into a waste bin

He then scrunched up the piece of paper before tossing it into a waste bin

The Israeli government has said the document is aimed to deceive the world Hamas is becoming more moderate

The Israeli government has said the document is aimed to deceive the world Hamas is becoming more moderate

In a video clip aired on social media on Sunday Mr Netanyahu said news outlets had been taken in by 'fake news'.

Sitting behind his desk with tense music playing in the background, he said that in its 'hateful document', Hamas 'lies to the world'. 

He then pulled up a waste paper bin, crumpled the document into a ball and tossed it away. 

He said: 'The new Hamas document says that Israel has no right to exist, it says every inch of our land belongs to the Palestinians, it says there is no acceptable solution other than to remove Israel... they want to use their state to destroy our state.'

Mr Netanyahu ended his clip by saying that 'Hamas murders women and children, it's launched tens of thousands of missiles at our homes, it brainwashes Palestinian kids in suicide kindergarten camps,' before binning the document

Mr Netanyahu ended his clip by saying that 'Hamas murders women and children, it's launched tens of thousands of missiles at our homes, it brainwashes Palestinian kids in suicide kindergarten camps,' before binning the document

Founded in 1987 as an offshoot of the Muslim Brotherhood, the banned Egyptian Islamist movement, Hamas has fought three wars with Israel since 2007 and has carried out hundreds of armed attacks in Israel and in Israeli-occupied territories.

Many Western countries classify Hamas as a terrorist group over its failure to renounce violence, recognise Israel's right to exist and accept existing interim Israeli-Palestinian peace agreements.

Outgoing Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal said Hamas's fight was not against Judaism as a religion but against what he called 'aggressor Zionists'. 

Ismail Haniyeh, Hamas's leader in the Gaza Strip, was named on Saturday to succeed Meshaal.

Gaza has been under blockade by Israel and Egypt for the past decade, imposed to prevent attacks by militants inside the territory. 

Its economy has been crippled as a result, and many of its 1.9 million inhabitants suffer daily hardships. 

Mr Netanyahu concluded his clip by saying that 'Hamas murders women and children, it's launched tens of thousands of missiles at our homes, it brainwashes Palestinian kids in suicide kindergarten camps,' before binning the document. 

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