Israel questions PA funding
Finance ministry's director-general throws PA funding into doubt citing 'practical problems' due to Hamas victory; World calls on Hamas to renounce violence
"We have practical problems that we have to deal with as a matter of fact next week," Joseph Bachar, Director-General at the finance ministry, told the World Economic Forum in Switzerland.
Palestinian Economy Minister Mazen Sinokrot said the Palestian Authority faced a financial crunch as early as next week when it has to find $100 million worth of salaries for government employees.
"Next week we will have to pay salaries for around $100 million dollars. Where these salaries should come from for 135,000 employees?" he said. "If those salaries are not coming, this is a message for violence."
Speaking on CNN, Sinokrot said that the "whole world should understand that we are very much in need of the 97 million dollars."
European foreign ministers are expected to meet on Monday in order to discuss developments in the Middle East.
Hamas wins, world reacts
Western governments warned Thursday that they would not deal with a Palestinian government led by Hamas -- regarded as terrorists by the European Union and the United States -- unless it renounces violence and recognizes Israel's right to exist.
"The United States does not support political parties that want to destroy our ally Israel,'' U.S. President George W. Bush said after Hamas won a landslide election victory in Palestinian parliamentary elections. "People must renounce that part of their platform.''
Canadian prime minister-designate Stephen Harper said his Conservative government won't accept Hamas as long as it continues to support terrorism and call for the destruction of Israel."For a nation to be truly democratic, that nation must renounce terrorism,'' he said.
"We must respect the election result, although it was not the outcome we had wished,'' Denmark's Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen said.
"Of course, we recognize the mandate for Hamas because the people have spoken,'' British Prime Minister Tony Blair said. "But I think it is also important for Hamas to understand that there comes a point, and that point is now following that strong showing, where they have to decide between a path of democracy or a path of violence.''
In France, Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin said renouncing violence, accepting progress toward peace, and recognizing Israel and existing peace accords were "indispensable'' conditions for working with "a Palestinian government of any kind.''
The Italian government said Hamas' victory could indefinitely postpone any chance of Israeli-Palestinian peace and make the creation of a Palestinian state more difficult.
"It is a very, very, very bad result,'' Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi said.
EU funding in doubt
The EU has given millions of dollars in aid to the Palestinian Authority to help reconstruction efforts in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank -- funding that was called into question following Hamas' win. A senior European Parliament legislator, Elmar Brok, warned of a possible cutoff of aid if Hamas did not change its policies.
"It is obvious that the EU would never countenance funding a regime that continued an armed fight against Israel,'' said Ignasi Guardans, a Spanish member of the parliament. "But we cannot push for democracy and then deny the result of free and fair elections.''
German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier urged Hamas to reject violence and recognise Israel, as did his counterparts in Sweden, Denmark, the Netherlands and Norway.
