US envoy: Hamas and Islamic Jihad bringing ‘misery and suffering to Gaza’

June 4, 2019 by Aryeh Savir - TPS
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Jason Greenblatt, Assistant to President Donald Trump and the US’ Special Representative for International Negotiations, accused the terror organizations of bringing “misery and suffering to Palestinians in Gaza” in response to a new report that the groups have restocked their arsenal of rockets to levels reached just before Operation Protective Edge.

Photo by Kobi Richter/TPS

The Wall Street Journal’s Monday report quotes “current and former Israeli officials” who said that the terror groups in Gaza have restocked their stockpile of rockets to levels reached before the last war with Israel in the summer of 2014.

Through smuggling and domestic manufacturing, Hamas and Islamic Jihad have replenished their stock of some 10,000 rockets.

The report further says that the military build-up is part of a pressure campaign to ease Israel’s blockade on the Gaza Strip, and while Hamas leaders in Gaza have indicated they are not seeking a fourth war with Israel, they are using the prospect of conflict to extract concessions.

Responding to the report, Greenblatt quoted the “continued terror threats from Hamas” mentioned in the report in which the terror group claimed that “the region…will not enjoy calm as long as the enemy [Israel] is on Palestinian land and Gaza is besieged.”

“Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad continue to bring misery and suffering to Palestinians in Gaza,” he said.

The US envoy has previously slammed the terror groups for investing in terrorism rather than in building a future for Gaza.

In June 2018, Greenblatt assailed Hamas for its refusal to help Gaza’s residents while investing all its resources attacking Israel and the Palestinian Authority (PA).

“Hamas continues to fail the Palestinians of Gaza – arson kites and balloons and many mortar and rocket attacks directed against Israelis,” Greenblatt tweeted. “How can the international community help when murderous Hamas leaders continue to squander the resources of Gaza? The people deserve better.”

Israel has repeatedly warned that Hamas is investing heavily in its terror infrastructure rather than in building Gaza, and has exposed several cases in which Hamas has exploited Humanitarian aid and organizations to promote its vast terror machine.

In January 2018, Greenblatt pointed out in a tweet that “a terror tunnel costs roughly $5.9 million to build (money that belongs to the people of Gaza).”

“Gaza needs options besides Hamas and its enablers. Time to stop pouring money into violence and hatred, and to start investing in a real future for Palestinians in Gaza,” he tweeted.

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