From the Liveblog of
Sunday, May 1, 2022
PM hits back at Sinwar, swiping at Netanyahu: ‘Maybe Hamas misses suitcases of cash’
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Prime Minister Naftali Bennett hits back at Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar for his threatening speech a day earlier, at the same time taking a swipe at his predecessor Benjamin Netanyahu for allowing millions of dollars of Qatari cash to flow into the Gaza Strip under the terror group’s control.
“It seems to me that it is already quite clear at this stage that Hamas does not like this government. Maybe they miss the suitcases of dollars, and maybe they just do not like the possibility of us all working together to improve the living conditions of Arab Israeli citizens,” Bennett says at the start of the weekly cabinet meeting.
“This is the time that the masks come off and it is clear to everyone who wants what. That Hamas wants to overthrow our government, says it all. And in that, too, Sinwar must not be allowed to win,” Bennett says.
Under Netanyahu’s government, Israel allowed millions in Qatari cash to flow into Gaza on a monthly basis in order to maintain a fragile ceasefire with Hamas.
The “suitcases full of cash” policy was excoriated by Bennett and his government as a system to fund terror, and it was replaced with a new aid distribution mechanism involving the United Nations.
The Times of Israel Community.