Sunday 28 December 2014

Senior Fatah official Azzam Al-Ahmed (L) speaks with head
of the Hamas government Ismail Haniyeh in Gaza.nce a reconciliation agreement

Hamas-PLO govt would prompt aid review: US

Washington, April 24, 2014

The United States would have to reconsider its assistance to the Palestinians if Islamist group Hamas and the Palestinian Liberation Organization form a government together, a senior US administration official said on Thursday.

Gaza-based Hamas - which is listed by the US as a terrorist organisation - and President Mahmoud Abbas's West Bank-based PLO announced a unity pact on Wednesday, complicating US-brokered peace talks with Israel that Washington is already struggling to extend past an April 29 deadline.


"Any Palestinian government must unambiguously and explicitly commit to non-violence, recognition of the state of Israel, and acceptance of previous agreements and obligations between the parties," the US official said, listing terms Hamas has long rejected.

"If a new Palestinian government is formed, we will assess it based on its adherence to the stipulations above, its policies and actions, and will determine any implications for our assistance based on US law," the official said, speaking to Reuters on condition of anonymity.


However providing US aid to a unity government that includes Hamas would be assistance to a group the US lists as a terrorist organisation. Both the US and Israel greeted the announcement of the unity pact with dismay.

Israel, whose government includes ministers opposed to the creation of a Palestinian state, cancelled a session of talks with the Palestinians that had been scheduled for Wednesday, and the State Department said the unity move could derail peace efforts.

Asked whether the reconciliation moves would incur promised US sanctions, PLO Deputy Secretary Yasser Abed Rabo told Palestinian radio it was too soon to penalise a government that had yet to be formed.




Tags: Hamas | US |


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