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Israeli Prime Minister Accuses Palestinian National Authority of 'Choking' Gaza

TEL AVIV (Sputnik) - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday accused the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) of suffocating Gaza, controlled by Hamas movement, and warned of grave consequences such policy could lead to.
Sputnik

"[World] countries have to stand up and tell them: 'Seize what you are doing,' especially the choking of Gaza… which could lead to very difficult consequences," Netanyahu said at a joint press conference with German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

The long-standing tensions between Israel and Palestine have escalated in late March when Palestinians launched protest rallies at the Gaza border.

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Earlier in the day, the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) said that after assessing the situation the Israeli authorities decided to send reinforcements to southern Israel to "thwart terror and infiltrations from Gaza."

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Palestinians seek diplomatic recognition of their independent state on the territories of the West Bank, including East Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip. The Israeli government refuses to recognize Palestine as an independent political and diplomatic entity and continues to build settlements within the occupied areas, despite objections from the United Nations.

The Israeli-Palestinian peace process has been a matter of global concern with the issue of engaging international mediators. The Middle East Quartet has been active since 2002 and is focused on support for Palestine in developing its economy, public institutions, rule of law in preparation for eventual statehood.

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