Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday commented on the assassination of senior Jihad leader Bahaa Abu al-Atta, as the Palestinian Authority condemned the operation as a crime, blaming Tel Aviv for its responsibility.
Netanyahu said at a news conference that the decision to assassinate Abu al-Atta was taken a week ago unanimously at a meeting of the security cabinet and the security minister.
He added: "I was authorized to the security services to choose the right timing" of the assassination.
The Israeli prime minister said that Abu al-Atta was "the main driver of terrorism from the Gaza Strip. He initiated many operations and fired hundreds of shells at us," describing it as a "time bomb", because "he planned additional operations in recent days."
"Israel is not interested in escalation, but we will do whatever is required to defend ourselves," he said.
In return, the Palestinian Authority presidency condemned the assassination of Abu al-Atta.
The Presidency said in a statement reported by the official news agency "Wafa": "The Presidency condemned the ongoing Israeli crime against our people in the Gaza Strip, which resulted in the death of three people, including a citizen and his wife and the injury of his children after targeting their home in the neighborhood of Shejaiya in Gaza City."
The Presidency held the "occupation government full responsibility and the consequences of the deterioration of the situation in the Gaza Strip," demanding "the international community to oblige the Israeli government to stop the aggression immediately and the need to provide urgent protection for our people in all places of existence."
The Israeli army said in a statement Tuesday morning that it carried out the assassination of Abu al-Atta, 42, in cooperation with the Shin Bet security service.
He said the commander was directly involved "in operations and attempts to target Israel and IDF soldiers in various ways, including rocket fire and sniper operations ...".
By Catherine Warren November 12, 2019
0 Comments