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Abbas Would Give Up U.S. Aid for Reconciliation with Hamas

(AP) Mohammed Daraghmeh - Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is making a heavy push for reconciliation with Hamas and is willing to give up hundreds of millions of dollars in U.S. aid if that's what it takes to forge a Palestinian unity deal, Azzam Ahmed, an Abbas aide, said Monday. "Of course we need the American money. But if they use it as a way of pressuring us, we are ready to relinquish that aid," he said. The U.S. administration, the largest single donor to the Palestinians, withheld funds when Hamas was a part of a short-lived Palestinian unity government, which collapsed when Hamas seized power in Gaza in 2007. The Palestinians receive more than $470 million a year in direct financial assistance from the U.S. The U.S. will likely cut off the funds unless Hamas agrees to renounce violence and recognize Israel.
2011-03-29 00:00:00
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