(Jerusalem Post) Herb Keinon - EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana told the European Parliament Wednesday that Hamas' political program "is unfortunately unacceptable to the international community." Solana said PA Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh has not given a clear indication "that the Hamas government is prepared to respect the principles established by the European Union: eschewing the use of violence as a means of settling the conflict, recognizing the State of Israel, and observing the agreements signed between the Palestinians and Israel." Israel Foreign Ministry spokesman Mark Regev said that Israel "welcomed" Solana's statement that Hamas had clearly not met the benchmarks established by the international community. "Until it does so," Regev said, "Hamas will not be considered a legitimate political interlocutor." Regarding Solana's call for Israel to transfer revenue payments to the PA, Regev asked, "Can anyone guarantee that money that is transferred today to the Hamas-controlled treasury will not come back to haunt us in the future in the form of suicide bombings?"
2006-04-07 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive