.- Israel will use the reconciliation agreement between the Palestinian Authority and the Islamist movement Hamas, which rules Gaza and does not recognize the Israeli state, to torpedo the campaign for recognition of a Palestinian state by the UN in September. The Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu decided to launch a campaign to not recognize any Palestinian unity government that includes members of Hamas, said on Friday, a government source.
Netanyahu travels in the coming days to London and Paris in order to convince its European partners not to vote at the UN for recognition of a Palestinian state without the approval of Israel. "We were against any unilateral declaration of a Palestinian state, but if Hamas becomes a party in power, it will be even more dangerous," the spokesman said Israeli Foreign Ministry, Yigal Palmor.
"Until not accept the Quartet's conditions for the Middle East, this movement remains to Israel and Western countries as a terrorist organization," he said Palmor. The members of the Quartet (U.S., EU, Russia and UN) set these conditions in January 2006. This is the cessation of violence, recognition of the agreements signed by Israel and the PLO (Organization for the Liberation of Palestine) and the recognition of Israel's right to exist.
The inter-Palestinian reconciliation agreement does not mention these principles. On Friday, Israeli Foreign Minister, Avigdor Lieberman, called the head of European diplomacy, Catherine Ashton, to urge them to insist that "Hamas apply absolutely all the conditions set by the Quartet," announced his cabinet.
A European diplomat Pierre Vimont, Ashton's right hand, said the European Union will support the reconciliation agreement if it meets the Quartet's statements. "Only we can support if you have taken into consideration, for us, is the necessary context," meaning "the recognition of Israel and the items recalled by the Quartet for Middle East" Vimont said.
A Hamas leader, Mahmoud Zahar, a Gaza resident, on Thursday refused to recognize Israel but said that his movement will not try to prevent Fatah, head of the PLO, strive to attain a peace agreement with Israel. On Wednesday, just signed the inter-Palestinian agreement, Netanyahu said that Abbas must "choose between peace with Israel and peace with Hamas." Since then Israeli ministers insist no longer on that topic, saying even the Israeli government could ban Hamas candidates in Palestinian elections in the West Bank territory occupied by Israel.
Israeli President Shimon Peres also joined the campaign, declaring that "the United Nations could not accept or recognize a terrorist organization as a state in September." The Israeli media gave wide coverage to the criticism of the agreement between Hamas and Fatah, whose application seems difficult given the fundamental differences between the two Palestinian movements.
The Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and the exiled leader of the Islamist movement Hamas, Khaled Meshaal, must sign the inter-Palestinian reconciliation agreement on Wednesday in Cairo. The secretary of the Arab League, Egyptian Amr Musa, the Egyptian Foreign Minister, Nabil al-Arabi, and the head of Egypt's secret service, Gen.
Murad Mowafi, will attend the ceremony. 
Netanyahu travels in the coming days to London and Paris in order to convince its European partners not to vote at the UN for recognition of a Palestinian state without the approval of Israel. "We were against any unilateral declaration of a Palestinian state, but if Hamas becomes a party in power, it will be even more dangerous," the spokesman said Israeli Foreign Ministry, Yigal Palmor.
"Until not accept the Quartet's conditions for the Middle East, this movement remains to Israel and Western countries as a terrorist organization," he said Palmor. The members of the Quartet (U.S., EU, Russia and UN) set these conditions in January 2006. This is the cessation of violence, recognition of the agreements signed by Israel and the PLO (Organization for the Liberation of Palestine) and the recognition of Israel's right to exist.
The inter-Palestinian reconciliation agreement does not mention these principles. On Friday, Israeli Foreign Minister, Avigdor Lieberman, called the head of European diplomacy, Catherine Ashton, to urge them to insist that "Hamas apply absolutely all the conditions set by the Quartet," announced his cabinet.
A European diplomat Pierre Vimont, Ashton's right hand, said the European Union will support the reconciliation agreement if it meets the Quartet's statements. "Only we can support if you have taken into consideration, for us, is the necessary context," meaning "the recognition of Israel and the items recalled by the Quartet for Middle East" Vimont said.
A Hamas leader, Mahmoud Zahar, a Gaza resident, on Thursday refused to recognize Israel but said that his movement will not try to prevent Fatah, head of the PLO, strive to attain a peace agreement with Israel. On Wednesday, just signed the inter-Palestinian agreement, Netanyahu said that Abbas must "choose between peace with Israel and peace with Hamas." Since then Israeli ministers insist no longer on that topic, saying even the Israeli government could ban Hamas candidates in Palestinian elections in the West Bank territory occupied by Israel.
Israeli President Shimon Peres also joined the campaign, declaring that "the United Nations could not accept or recognize a terrorist organization as a state in September." The Israeli media gave wide coverage to the criticism of the agreement between Hamas and Fatah, whose application seems difficult given the fundamental differences between the two Palestinian movements.
The Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and the exiled leader of the Islamist movement Hamas, Khaled Meshaal, must sign the inter-Palestinian reconciliation agreement on Wednesday in Cairo. The secretary of the Arab League, Egyptian Amr Musa, the Egyptian Foreign Minister, Nabil al-Arabi, and the head of Egypt's secret service, Gen.
Murad Mowafi, will attend the ceremony.
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