Security cabinet member and Jewish Home leader Naftali Bennett, who demanded the convening of the cabinet in the wake of the "conciliation agreement" between the PA and Hamas, welcomed the cabinet decision on the matter, stating that "the security cabinet took a strategic decision today defining the basic conditions for negotiations. After Mahmoud Abbas joined up with a terror organization, Israel will not commence diplomatic negotiations as long as Hamas will not totally disarm."
Bennett welcomed the decision to declare the PA a terrorist entity "since any other decision would confer legitimacy on the Hamas terrorist organization which is bent on the destruction of Israel."
Bennett added that Israeli efforts must now focus on returning civilians and bodies of soldiers held by Hamas by making Hamas and the PA pay a heavy price for keeping them in captivity."