The U.S. government has, for the first time, officially announced Wednesday its opposition to the participation of Hamas in the parliamentary Palestinian elections. The American stance on the issue has been cloudy up until now.
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White House Spokesman Scott McClellan condemned the Hadera suicide bombing attack,
and said that "we condemn the killing of innocents, which is an appalling crime, and send our condolences to the victims' families."
"The PA must do more to counter such attacks," he added.
McClellan, who mistakenly attributed the attack to Hamas, said that "our stance on Hamas is well known. It must be disarmed. A terror organization can't be involved in politics and carrying out terror attacks. The PA must make it clear to Hamas that as long as they continue to operate militarily, they have no place in the political system."
Israel has for long expected the U.S. to take a stance against Hamas participation in the elections.
Hamas not discussed in last week's summit
Following PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas and American President George W. Bush's summit
in Washington last week, the Palestinians have stressed that the issue of Hamas has never been raised for discussion, and said they considered this to be one of their greatest achievements.
Bush himself has avoided referring to the subject in his talks with reporters.
During his stay in Washington Abbas was however asked by local politicians how it would be possible for Hamas to participate in the elections if the group is not disarmed first.
The chairman responded by explaining that if popular figures in the Palestinian public are prevented from running in the elections, the entire electoral process may be perceived as illegitimate.
Abbas was also presented with a letter signed by 50 congress members, stating that a terror organization must not be allowed to take part in democratic elections. The Palestinian leader has however remained firm in his decision to allow such participation.
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