Netanyahu: Division between PA, Hamas prevents a Palestinian state forming

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said that he is allowing the passage of Qatari funds into the Gaza Strip in order to keep it separated from the West Bank, Israeli newspaper the Jerusalem Post reported yesterday.

The newspaper claimed that Netanyahu had said that it is part of a broader strategy to keep Hamas and the Palestinian Authority (PA) separate.

READ: Qatar distributes aid to 55,000 families in Gaza

In the past, he said, the PA transferred millions to Hamas in Gaza, stating that it is better for Israel to oversee transfers.

“Now that we are supervising, we know it is going to humanitarian causes,” a source from the Likud told the newspaper.

Netanyahu added: “Whoever is against a Palestinian state should support” transferring the funds to Gaza because maintaining a separation between the PA in the West Bank and Hamas in Gaza helps prevent the establishment of a Palestinian state.