Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni met with Prime Minister Tony Blair in London on Thursday. Livni’s trip to London is the last stop on a trip aimed at persuading European leaders to withhold funds from a Palestinian government led by Hamas.
Britain has responded cautiously to the radical Islamic party’s election victory, saying it was bound to respect the outcome of a democratic election but that Hamas now has a responsibility to disavow violence and recognize Israel. The European Union agreed Monday to give the Palestinians $143 million in urgent aid before Hamas takes office. The bloc regards Hamas as a terrorist organization. Israel says the money is bound to reach militants pledged to its destruction. A Foreign Office spokesman, speaking on condition of anonymity in line with government policy, said future decisions on funding „will be taken in light of what decisions Hamas takes.” Livni met with Foreign Office Minister Kim Howells and held a five-minute news conference before being ushered off to meet with Blair. She warned of the difficulties now facing Israel because of the rise of Hamas, the election of radical Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, as well as the increasing power of other extremist groups. „This is a threat not just to Israel, but to the international community,” she said. She insisted that Hamas meet the international community’s demands to renounce violence, recognize Israel and accept existing agreements between the Palestinians and Israel. „This is not negotiable,” she said. „After they will accept these kinds of conditions then we can … find a way to live together in peace in the Middle East.” She warned during a stop in Paris on Wednesday that Hamas’ election win could transform the Palestinian Authority into a terrorist body, and cautioned European leaders against providing funds to a government led by Hamas. The EU – one of the major donors to the Palestinians – has struggled with the question of what to do after the imminent Hamas takeover. Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas has asked the group to form the next government. The EU announced Monday it will provide $143 million in emergency assistance to the caretaker Palestinian government aimed at preventing its financial collapse, but has so far kept silent on what it would do once Hamas takes office. Austrian Foreign Minister Ursula Plassnik, whose country holds the EU’s rotating presidency, said that decision was necessary to cover basic needs. Hamas’ election victory has forced the world into the difficult position of having to deal with a moderate president who supports peace talks, but a parliament – and soon a Cabinet – dominated by a group sworn to Israel’s destruction. „There is a need for them (Hamas) to understand that they have to change to get the world’s legitimacy, that they have to change if they want to get some support from the international community,” she said.
BPI-info
BPI-info
