Hamas faces pressure to moderate its views

WASHINGTON – The Bush administration and Congress on Friday began trying to use the power of Western cash to push a new Palestinian government dominated by the radical Islamic group Hamas toward moderation.

Bush administration officials prepared for a meeting in London on Monday in which they will urge the diplomatic group overseeing the Mideast peace effort to warn the Palestinians that they risk losing millions of dollars in international aid unless they renounce violence and recognize Israel’s right to exist.

The international group known as the “quartet” – the United States, the European Union, the United Nations and Russia – is expected to cite the Palestinians’ reliance on foreign aid in its joint statement.

President Bush said Friday in an interview with “CBS Evening News” that the United States would cut aid to the Palestinian government unless Hamas abolishes the militant arm of its party and stops calling for the destruction of Israel.

In Congress, members of both chambers began pushing legislation that calls for further restrictions on U.S. aid to Palestinians if Hamas does not change its ways. The measures are expected to win approval in the next few days, staff members said this week.

Aid from abroad is expected to be one of the most important levers of influence on Hamas, which opposes the international effort to negotiate a peace agreement with Israel. In Washington, Sean McCormack, the State Department’s chief spokesman, said the question of international aid “will be a topic of discussion” at the session on Monday.

Palestinians receive $900 million a year in foreign aid, one-third of it from European treasuries. The Group of Eight industrial countries was considering a dramatic boost in aid. At a summit in Scotland last September, the G8 agreed to a package that would provide the Palestinians up to $3 billion in coming years.

Some U.S. officials have said in recent days that they feared differences may emerge between the Bush administration and Europe over how hard to pressure Hamas. Europeans have tended to be more sympathetic to Palestinian views on the Middle East conflict.

But European diplomats said Friday that the Americans and Europeans are united at the moment in a desire to press Hamas for change, and are willing to remind leaders of the militant group of their dependency.