‘I care about Palestinians more than their leaders’

JERUSALEM: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday said he cares more about the Palestinian people than their leaders do, in his first response to allegations of aid theft by Hamas.

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“I, the prime minister of Israel, care more about Palestinians than their own leaders do,” Netanyahu said in a video posted online, which provoked outrage from the Palestinians.

“Israel cares more about Palestinians than their own leaders do,” he added. The Israeli leader said his comments were in response to allegations that the militant Islamic Hamas, which rules the Gaza Strip, stole aid from a major charity and the United Nations.

An Israeli court on August 4 charged World Vision’s Gaza head Mohammed al-Halabi with funding “terror,” while a UN engineer was indicted Tuesday on allegations of working with Hamas’s military wing.

“Hamas, the terrorist organisation that runs Gaza, stole millions of dollars from humanitarian organisations like World Vision and the UN,” said Netanyahu. “Innocent and impoverished Palestinians were denied vital aid supplied from nations around the world,” he added.

Saeb Erekat, secretary general of the Palestine Liberation Organisation, said “the hate that Netanyahu has against the Palestinians makes him invent a parallel history.” “Netanyahu is convinced that Palestinians should be thankful for living under an apartheid regime and in exile,” he said .

Netanyahu, for his part, said Israel “treats wounded Palestinians in its hospitals” and compared with “Hamas, that prevents injured Palestinians from getting help.”