Israel envoy: Palestinians need humanitarian aid

In an interview with Reuters, Israeli Ambassador Daniel Ayalon took a conciliatory approach on humanitarian assistance and stressed his country did not want to see the Palestinian people suffer after the militant group Hamas' surprise win in a Jan. 25 parliamentary election.

"It's against our nature, our morals to really hold a population responsible. We certainly do not want to see any starving people or a humanitarian disaster," said Ayalon.

Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni will be in Washington on Tuesday for meetings with Bush administration officials on how to proceed with a Hamas-led Palestinian government. Much of those discussions will focus on aid to the Palestinians.

Ayalon said these meetings would explore, among other issues, how to continue delivering humanitarian assistance to the Palestinians without benefiting Hamas.

"We will have to find ways to do it, I am sure there are ways to do it," he said.

"We do not wish to see a humanitarian disaster of the Palestinians and we will have to consult and find some mechanisms and ways to make sure that the Palestinian people do not suffer."

But he echoed the U.S. view that no direct aid must be channeled through Hamas unless the group met at least three conditions: renounced violence, disarmed militants and recognized Israel's right to exist.

Hamas, sworn to the destruction of Israel and responsible for many suicide bombings of Israelis, has rejected demands by Western donor governments that it recognize the Jewish state.

BUDGET CRUNCH

The Palestinian Authority faces a giant budget crunch and relies heavily on foreign aid for its survival, particularly from Europe.

The Palestinian Authority said on Monday it would ask international envoy James Wolfensohn to quickly release $300 million in aid from donor countries to pay salaries and keep government ministries running.

Last year, the European Union gave the Palestinian Authority 500 million euros ($615 million). The United States, which has given more than $1.5 billion in aid to the Palestinians since 1993, has begun a full review of its assistance programs since Hamas' election win.

Hamas has called threats to cut aid political blackmail and has said sympathetic nations such as Iran could fill the funding gap.

Ayalon said Israel was not concerned Iran might take advantage of any funding shortfalls, commenting Tehran did not have the resources.

Israel agreed on Sunday to hand over to the Palestinians tax revenues it froze after Hamas' election victory, but Ayalon ruled out future transfers to a Hamas government.

The United States had urged Israel to keep handing over monthly tax revenues it collects on behalf of the Palestinian Authority at least until Hamas enters government.

The Hamas victory came as a shock to Israel and the international community as a whole, and Ayalon said allowing the militant group to take part in the poll made a "mockery of the rule of law."

"I don't know any democracy that would allow a terror organization to run," he said.

(Additional reporting by Saul Hudson and Carol Giacomo)

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