Washington, DC -- After meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu this morning in Tel Aviv, Congressman Eliot Engel (D-NY) released this statement on a purported deal between the Palestinian Authority and Hamas to form a unity government.  He was joined by his House colleagues Ted Deutch (D-FL), Dennis Cardoza (D-CA), , Jack Kingston (R-GA), Allyson Schwartz (D-PA), John Barrow (D-GA), Tim Murphy (R-PA), Ben Chandler (D-KY), and Larry Kissell (D-NC).

"Yesterday, we learned of a purported agreement to form a unity government between the Palestinian Authority and Hamas, a terrorist organization that intentionally and willfully targets Israeli civilians.

"This is a time for clarity. The Palestinian Authority has chosen an alliance with violence and extremism over the democratic values that Israel represents. The United States should not aid an entity whose members seek the destruction of the State of Israel and continue to fire rockets and mortars at innocent Israeli children. If the Palestinian Authority follows through on this decision, American law dictates that US assistance to the Palestinian Authority will end.

"In our meeting with the Prime Minister, we re-affirmed our commitment to ensuring the safety and security of Israel and to supporting Israel's efforts to achieve real, lasting, and secure peace with the Palestinian people."

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