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Source: http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/588863.html
Rice and Sharon to Discuss Keeping Hamas Out of Elections
(Ha'aretz) Akiva Eldar and Arnon Regular - Israel and the U.S. recently began discussing the participation of Hamas in the elections to the Palestinian Legislative Council, and have raised the possibility of demanding that PA Chairman Abbas ban Hamas from running. A senior source in the Prime Minister's Bureau said Abbas's postponement of the elections, scheduled for July 17, was related, among other things, to Israel's reservations about the participation of "a racist party that calls for the annihilation of the Jews." The U.S. has promised Israel it will refrain from official talks with Hamas until it renounces armed struggle and agrees to abide by legal constraints, the source said. These issues may come up in a meeting scheduled for Sunday in Israel between Prime Minister Sharon and Secretary of State Rice.