U.S., Israel cool to united Palestinian government plan
WASHINGTON – Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni reacted skeptically Wednesday to a proposed unity Palestinian government that included Hamas, saying the militant group must first renounce terrorism and accept Israel’s right to exist before a ban on international aid can be lifted.
The Palestinian Authority has teetered near collapse since foreign governments largely cut off aid after the radical group Hamas unexpectedly won legislative elections in January. President Mahmoud Abbas, of the more moderate Fatah faction that lost the elections, this week reached a deal with Hamas to form a government that would empower him to negotiate with Israel – in effect sidestepping Hamas’ pledge to destroy the Jewish state. The Palestinian Cabinet resigned Wednesday to clear the way for a new unity government.
Some European officials have greeted the announcement as a possible breakthrough, potentially allowing for increased aid. The Palestinian Authority has been unable to pay civil salaries, which about 1 million Palestinians rely on for their livelihoods.
But Rice and Livni, speaking to reporters after a meeting at the State Department, reiterated that the new government must meet conditions that were set by the United States and allies after the Hamas victory.
“The outcome of the process is not clear,” Rice said. “It goes without saying that it’s hard to have a partner for peace if you don’t accept the right of the other partner to exist. It goes without saying that it’s hard to have a process for peace if you do not renounce violence.”
Livni, who is also deputy prime minister, said that Israel is still committed to helping create a Palestinian state on territory occupied by Israel. “Stagnation is not the Israeli government policy,” she said. But she added that it is up to the Palestinians “to meet these requirements fully and completely, and we believe that these requirements are not negotiable.”
Abbas plans to meet President Bush on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly next week, and Livni put the onus on Abbas to produce results. “Now is a moment in time in which Mahmoud Abbas has to decide whether the Palestinian Authority will operate on his terms or on the terrorists’ terms,” she said.
Livni’s visit to Washington is the first by a senior Israeli official since a U.S.-brokered cease-fire helped end a month-long war between Israel and the radical Shiite group Hezbollah in southern Lebanon. The war was sparked by the capture of two Israeli soldiers by Hezbollah as Israel was battling militants in the Gaza Strip. The soldiers have not been released.