Hamas leader Khaled Mashaal (L) and PA President Mahmoud Abbas. Photo: Jewish Policy Center.

Israeli Prime Minisiter Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday evening addressed the evolving news that the two ruling Palestinian factions, Fatah and Hamas, are seeking to form a unity government, reminding the world that Hamas is “a murderous terrorist organization that calls for the destruction of the State of Israel and which both the United States and the European Union define as a terrorist organization.”

In a statement, Netanyahu said: “I said this morning that Abu Mazen needs to choose between peace with Israel and an agreement with Hamas,” which he described as above.

“This evening, as talks are still ongoing about extending the negotiations, Abu Mazen has chosen Hamas and not peace,” he said. “Whoever chooses Hamas does not want peace.”

Earlier on Wednesday, Netanyahu said about Abbas: “He has to choose. Does he want peace with Hamas or peace with Israel. You can have one but not the other. I hope he chooses peace, so far he hasn’t done so.”

Israel’s Foreign Minister Lieberman also weighed in on the Hamas-Fatah reconciliation. “Abu Mazen must decide if he wants to make peace, and if so, with whom,” he said. “It is impossible to make peace with Israel as well as with Hamas, a terrorist organization advocating for Israel’s destruction. Signing an agreement of a Fatah-Hamas unity government is tantamount to a signature on the end of negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian Authority.”