(Ynet News) Guy Bechor - Mahmoud Abbas' decision to join forces with Hamas, whether it happens or not, is a slap in the face of anyone who saw him as a "partner," and especially U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and the EU. The Palestinian Authority has received close to 7 billion euros from the EU since 1994, unconditionally and unsupervised, but new legislation by the European Parliament plenum on April 3, 2014, has set some conditions. If the PA sets up a joint government with Hamas, it will be impossible to transfer even one cent to it, because Hamas is officially a terrorist organization, both in Washington and Europe. Unity with Hamas is a slap in the face for many of the Arab regimes too, as it is basically a shift to cooperating with their enemy, the Muslim Brotherhood. It is an insult to Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Jordan and other states that see radical Islam as an existential threat. Just imagine what would have happened if Israel had transferred territories in the center of the country [the West Bank] to the Palestinians, and then the unity with Hamas and Jihad had taken place. Israel would face missiles directed at Tel Aviv, Haifa and Jerusalem. The writer heads the Middle East Division at the Lauder School of Government at the Interdisciplinary Center Herzliya.
2014-04-25 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive