Israeli Foreign Minister, said in response of the statements of the Palestinian President, Mahmoud Abbas, regarding the Jericho Prison attack, that Abbas (Abu Mazin) is a powerless leader with shortcoming actions.
Livni added that the military attack against Jericho prison was in order to arrest five men responsible for the assassination of the Israeli Tourism Minister, Rehavam Ze’evi, and a sixth prisoner who is suspected of financing illegal weapons shipment to the Palestinian Authority several years ago.
Abbas visited the prison compound following the Israeli operation and said that what happened is an ugly crime that cannot be forgiven, a humiliation to the Palestinian people, and clear violation of all agreements.
“This is illegal, the prisoners were detained in a Palestinian prison, Israel does not have the right to attack the compound and abduct them”, Abbas stated.
Livni, speaking at the foreign ministry offices in Jerusalem, claimed that the operation was carried out because Abbas is powerless, and that the operation mainly depended on “Abbas’s actions and shortcomings“.
She also claimed that the operation was not coordinated with Britain and the United States, in spite the fact the the U.S and U.K guards left the prison compound and went out of Jericho before the army carried in attack.
“We did not decide on the timing of the departure of the guards”, she added, “Unlike in 1948, we did not ask the British to leave”
Also, she added that the decision to remove the monitors from the prison compound was motivated by two factors; Hams’s rise to power, and the Palestinian lack of commitment to their obligations.
“The British and Americans reached the conclusion they could no longer vouch for the safely of their representatives in the P.A areas”, Livni stated, “Foreign citizens staying in the territories are in danger every time a new crisis crops up”.
