Palestine accuses Netanyahu of deceiving public opinion

By Awad al-Rujoub

RAMALLAH, Palestine (AA) – The Palestinian Authority (PA) on Sunday accused Israeli Prime Minister-designate Benjamin Netanyahu of deceiving world public opinion and evading any political process with the Palestinians.

The accusation came one day after Netanyahu said in an address to a conference of the Republican Jewish Coalition that the Palestinians don’t want peace with Israel.

PA spokesman Nabil Abu Rudeineh said Netanyahu's remarks "reveal his true intentions to evade any political process that leads to ending the occupation."

The spokesman called the upcoming Israeli government under Netanyahu "an extremist right-wing" one.

Abu Rudeineh stressed that the PA is committed to "peace in accordance with international legitimacy, not the deal of the century," in reference to a controversial peace proposal pushed by then-US President Donald Trump, which was opposed by the Palestinians.

Netanyahu is engaged in consultations to form a new Israeli government, which is likely to include extremist figures like Itamar BenGvir, who incites against Palestinians and backs settler intrusions into the flashpoint Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in occupied East Jerusalem.

*Writing by Ahmed Asmar