Erekat compares Netanyahu to Islamic State leader

Chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat compared Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to the leader of the Islamic State terror group, Israel Radio reported Saturday.

“What’s the difference between Benjamin Netanyahu and IS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi?” Erekat asked during a Friday interview on Palestinian television. He then drew a parallel between the two, saying al-Baghdadi “claims he is the head of the Islamic State, while Netanyahu claims he is the head of the Jewish State.”

Erekat appeared to blame Netanyahu for the murder of Arab teen Muhammed Abu Khdeir by Jews in July 2014, saying he saw no difference between Netanyahu and Islamic State executioners.

“What’s the difference between a terrorist criminal who beheads foreign journalists in Iraq and Syria, and a criminal who pours gasoline on a 16-year-old teenager, Muhammed Abi Khdeir, and burns him (to death)?” Erekat asked.

“Extremism is blind, and does not belong to one religion,” he added.

Netanyahu condemned the kidnapping and murder of Abu Khdeir in days after the crime, calling it “horrific” and promising to deal justice to the “murderers have no place in Israeli society.”

Netanyahu went on to say, however, “This is a difference between us and our neighbors. There, murderers are received as heroes, and city squares are named in their honor. That isn’t the only difference between us. The inciters among us we put on trial, while incitement in the Palestinian Authority takes place in official media outlets, in the education system, incitement centered on the call to destroy the state of Israel.”

Three people were later indicted in the killing. The three — 29-year-old Yosef Haim Ben-David and two minors who have not been identified – have said they wanted to avenge the June 12, 2014 killing of three Israeli teenagers.

Relations between Israel and the Palestinian Authority have gradually deteriorated since the collapse of peace talks in early 2014.

The PA officially joined the International Criminal Court on Wednesday and may seek to prosecute Israeli officials for war crimes allegedly committed against the Palestinian people.

The court’s chief prosecutor, Fatou Bensouda, opened a preliminary investigation in mid-January after the Palestinians formally accepted the court’s jurisdiction dating back to just before last year’s Israel-Hamas conflict.

The Palestinians suffered heavy civilian casualties in the war, prompting allegations by some rights groups that Israel committed war crimes. Hamas, which rules Gaza, is also exposed to war crimes charges because it fired rockets indiscriminately at Israeli civilian areas.

Israel denounced the Palestinians’ decision to join the court as “political, cynical and hypocritical.”

Beyond seeking war crimes charges against Israel at the court, the Palestinians want the UN Security Council to set a deadline for an Israeli troop withdrawal from the West Bank and hope for new momentum of a Palestinian-led international movement of boycott, divestment and sanctions.

But a legal and diplomatic showdown isn’t inevitable, as aides say Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas isn’t interested in an all-out confrontation with Israel. War crimes charges against Israel could be years away and Washington likely will soften any Security Council resolution on Palestinian statehood.

France is working on a Security Council resolution that would set the parameters for a Palestinian statehood deal. The draft would define the pre-1967 frontier as a reference point for border talks, designate Jerusalem as a capital of two states and call for a fair solution for Palestinian refugees.

Last year, the council rejected a Palestinian resolution demanding an Israeli withdrawal within three years. The US opposed that draft, saying Palestinian statehood can only be achieved through negotiations, but didn’t have to use its veto.

French diplomats now say they are working on a new draft with their allies, including the US, to ensure broad support. A resolution could be introduced later this month.

Netanyahu appeared to repudiate his support for Palestinian statehood in the run-up to the election in Israel last month, prompting the US to say it would re-evaluate its approach to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict — a possible sign that Washington would no longer shield Israel in the Security Council. Netanyahu later backtracked, saying he still supported a “sustainable, peaceful two-state solution,” and holding Abbas to blame for the failure of negotiations.