WarSclerotic

The head of Israel’s domestic security agency warned ‎the cabinet Thursday that excluding the Ramallah-‎based Palestinian Authority from a future cease-fire ‎deal between Israel and Hamas in Gaza would likely result in intensified ‎terrorism.‎

According to the Hadashot evening news, Shin Bet ‎security agency Director Nadav Argaman has warned ‎the members of the Diplomatic-Security Cabinet that ‎pursuing cease-fire negotiations with Gaza’s ‎rulers without involving Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud ‎Abbas “would embolden Hamas in the West Bank and ‎prove to them that terrorism pays.”‎

Hamas, an Islamist terrorist group, ousted ‎Abbas’ Western-backed government from the Gaza Strip ‎in a military coup in 2007, effectively splitting ‎from the Palestinian Authority. Since then, the ‎various efforts to reconcile the rival Palestinian factions – the latest ‎brokered by Egypt in late 2017 – have failed. ‎

Argaman warned this week that pursuing a deal with ‎Hamas without the PA’s involvement “would undermine ‎the moderates [in the PA] and prove to the ‎Palestinians that, when dealing with Israel, only ‎violence achieves results.” ‎

Arab media reported Thursday that the emerging cease-fire ‎agreement being negotiated by Egypt between ‎Israel and Hamas includes a one-‎year truce as well ‎as several measures meant to ‎alleviate the dire ‎economic situation in Gaza.‎

According to the report, under the deal, Qatar ‎will ‎pay the salaries of Hamas government officials in ‎Gaza and fund the enclave’s power ‎supply. ‎In the past, these payments were made by the ‎Palestinian ‎Authority, but Abbas suspended ‎them earlier this year in a bid to ‎pressure Hamas ‎into ceding control of Gaza.‎

The deal also includes establishing a “naval ‎‎corridor” between Cyprus and Gaza, through which ‎‎goods could be delivered to the enclave, as well as ‎the ‎construction of a port in the ‎Sinai Peninsula, which ‎would operate under Israeli ‎security supervision.‎

This outline, however, does not include provisions for Abbas to weigh in on future ‎developments in Gaza. ‎

Israeli defense officials expressed concern over ‎Qatar’s potential involvement, saying that history ‎has proven that a substantial portion of Qatari funds intended for rehabilitation projects and Hamas wages often gets diverted to fund terrorism.

Egypt is also uneasy about Qatar’s potential involvement, Hadashot reported. ‎

Egyptian ‎General Intelligence Service Director Maj. ‎‎Gen. ‎Abbas Kamel met with senior Israeli defense ‎‎‎officials in Tel Aviv on Wednesday to discuss the issue ‎with Argaman and National Security Adviser Meir Ben-‎Shabbat.‎

Israeli officials insisted Thursday that contrary to ‎reports in Arab media, the only issue being ‎discussed at this time is a cease-fire, saying it ‎would take months before any broader agreement could ‎be negotiated.

Furthermore, they said, a more comprehensive agreement between Israel and Hamas would only be possible if the truce holds.  ‎

Meanwhile, a senior Israeli official denied allegations that the emerging agreement ‎‎‎‎with Hamas does not address the issue of Israeli ‎‎‎‎captives – something that the families of fallen IDF soldiers whose bodies are held by Hamas have insisted be included in any agreement.

‎”There can be no true agreement ‎‎with Hamas without ‎‎the return of our citizens and ‎‎soldiers, and a ‎‎guarantee of long-term calm on the ‎‎border,” the official said.‎

Hamas is holding the remains of Staff Sgt. Oron ‎‎Shaul and Lt. Hadar Goldin, killed in the Gaza Strip ‎‎in separate battles in 2014, as well as two living ‎‎Israeli civilians – Avera Mengistu ‎‎and Hisham al-Sayed – both men with a history of ‎mental health struggles who crossed into Gaza ‎voluntarily ‎in 2014 and 2015 and were captured by the terrorist ‎group.‎

The Shin Bet security agency did not comment on the report.