EU May Cut Aid if Hamas Wins at Polls

Sun Dec 18, 7:08 AM ET

JERUSALEM - The European Union's foreign policy chief warned Sunday that the EU could halt tens of millions of dollars in aid to the Palestinians if the militant Hamas group wins next month's Palestinian elections and fails to renounce violence.

The threat by Javier Solana reflected growing international concern that Hamas, which has killed hundreds of Israelis in suicide bombings and remains committed to Israel's destruction, could win the Jan. 25 parliamentary vote.

The EU warning came after the House of Representatives passed a resolution Friday stating that American support for the Palestinian Authority would be at risk by any Hamas participation in government.

Also Sunday, officials from Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas' fractious Fatah said they had reached a deal to reunite the party after a group of young party leaders broke away last week to form their own list to run in the elections. Under the deal, the new list called Future and Fatah would both contest the elections, but would agree to unite in one government afterward, said Ahmed Ghneim, a Future Party leader.

Hamas swept municipal elections in several West Bank cities last week, capitalizing on widespread Palestinian dissatisfaction with the Abbas' corruption-tainted Fatah Party. The strong showing was widely seen as proof of Hamas' strength heading into the parliamentary vote.

"All the political parties have the right to be part of the elections, but there is a certain code of conduct that has to be accepted by everybody," Solana told reporters during a visit to Tel Aviv. "It's very difficult that parties who do not condemn violence ... can be partners for the future."

Solana said a Palestinian government that includes a party that fails to renounce violence and recognize Israel's right to exist could not continue to receive EU funding. The Palestinians receive about $1 billion a year in international aid - about half the Palestinian Authority's budget - and EU assistance is slated to reach $312 million in 2006.

"It would be very difficult for the help and the money that goes to the Palestinian Authority to continue to flow," he said. "The taxpayers in the European Union, members of the parliament of the European Union, will not be in a position to sustain that type of political activity."

Israeli officials have also called on Abbas to bar Hamas from the election, saying a victory by the group would deal a devastating blow to peace prospects.

"The inclusion of Hamas in any political process would be a clear detriment and dash the hopes of progress between Israel and the Palestinians," said David Baker, an official in Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's office.

Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri warned Sunday against "foreign interference in Palestinian internal affairs."

He said the international pressure on his group reflects "bias in favor of Israel" and said Hamas is committed to exercising its right to participate in the elections.

Fatah leaders also have backed Hamas' right to contest the elections, even as they worked to repair the rift in their own party.

A group of popular, young party leaders split from Fatah last week and formed the Future movement after Abbas, ignoring the results of party primaries, announced a parliamentary slate filled with corruption-tainted old-timers.

The instability in Fatah was partially blamed for its weak electoral showing and leaders of the two factions held urgent meetings Saturday aimed at reuniting the party.

After a second day of talks Sunday, the two sides reached a tentative agreement to work together during the campaign and merge their parliamentary delegations after the vote, Ghneim said.

"We will not attack each other in this election and we will not compete," he said. "We tried in the last few days to integrate our blocs. Unfortunately, we were unable to in terms of the law ... The understanding that we are working on now is to go ahead with the two blocs and integrate them in parliament."

Also Sunday, Israeli Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz said plans to allow Palestinian convoys to travel between the West Bank and Gaza Strip were postponed indefinitely due to security concerns.

The "safe passage" is considered vital to the Palestinian economy and a key component of an accord brokered last month by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. Israel last week canceled plans to allow a trial run of the convoys, which would have to pass through Israeli territory.

In new violence, Israeli troops overnight shot dead a man on the edge of the Gaza Strip they said was trying to breach a security fence and enter Israel, the army said.

Palestinian medical officials identified the dead man as Mohammed Abu Dikri, 34. It was not immediately known if he was a militant.

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