Palestinian terrorist groups have reacted with anger after footage emerged of prominent Palestinians in the West Bank hosting an iftar meal in recent days with Israeli Defense Force officers.
The festive meal, held to end the day’s fasting during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, was hosted on Saturday evening by prominent businessmen near the southern West Bank city of Hebron.
Among those invited were several IDF officers from the Coordinator of Government Activities on the Territories (COGAT), the Ministry of Defense body responsible for Palestinian civilian affairs.
One of the participants posted a video to TikTok, showing the officials mingling with locals, including some who are seen as close to the Palestinian Authority, with the caption “mutual benefits.”
The video sparked an outcry among Palestinians on social media and was quickly deleted.
It also drew criticism from Palestinian terrorist groups, who criticized the participants for collaborating with Israeli military rule.
Hebron- A group of Palestinian businessmen, and clan leaders in the town of Ad-dahriyya have an iftar party with military career officers from the civil administration branch this evening.
“Mutual benefits”. Want their names & titles? He deleted the tiktok video shortly after. pic.twitter.com/RtzE1pBBQz
— Youth | يونس (@ytirawi) April 1, 2023
Terrorist group Hamas released a statement on Sunday that condemned the meeting as “totally unacceptable normalization that contradicts our nation’s values of boycotting and opposing the terrorist regime.”
“This behavior reflects the legacy of our brave martyrs that calls for an increase in resistance and a call to arms,” Hamas said.
Palestinian Islamic Jihad and the Popular Liberation Front for Palestine also condemned the meeting.
“This act is completely unacceptable under the shadow of the crimes of the occupation and the ongoing terror against our people,” said Islamic Jihad. “It is a knife in the back of our brave faces.”
