Foreign Ministry officials told European Union representatives it is not trying to prevent Palestinian parliamentary elections from going ahead, as was earlier claimed by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.
Alon Bar, Head of the Foreign Ministry's Political Division, told envoys from 12 EU countries on Tuesday that Israel is worried the Hamas terror group will strenghten its stance in the Palestinian arena after the elections.
"Israel is acting with caution and responsibility to prevent the situation from deteriorating on the ground, and expects European countries to behave in the same way. [Hamas's] potential strengthening in the elections and its impact on security and stability is worrying."