Acting Prime Minister Ehud Olmert today (Friday),

27.1.06, telephoned Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and told him that Israel was very concerned about the results of the recent Palestinian Authority (PA) elections. The Acting Prime Minister said that Israel would not cooperate with Hamas or with any Palestinian administration that includes Hamas. Acting Prime Minister Olmert said that the Israeli position was clear and added that it must be clear to the Palestinians that they must disarm Hamas, and that Hamas must annul its Covenant (), which calls for Israel’s destruction. Egyptian President Mubarak said that next week he will discuss the results of the PA elections with the Palestinian leadership. Acting Prime Minister Olmert noted that Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni will visit Egypt next week () and will discuss this issue with the Egyptian President. The two men agreed to be in close contact and to monitor developments.