Several MKs criticized Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Defense Minister Ehud Barak Monday night following Fatah Chief Mahmoud Abbas’s announcement that Egypt mediated a cease-fire deal between Israel and the Hamas. Both men denied that such a deal exists.

“I’ll never forgive Olmert and Barak for making me believe Arabs more than Jews,” said MK Aryeh Eldad (NU/NRP). Israel has clearly made some sort of deal with Hamas, he said, and the deal will allow Hamas to arm itself with long-range missiles.

MK Gidon Saar (Likud) said Abbas’s statement demonstrated Olmert’s dishonesty. Abbas’s report of a deal “shows us how reliable Olmert’s denials are, also when it comes to negotiations about Jerusalem.”