Israel used 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," said Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Yigal Palmor Foreign Relations.
"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 a 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 reconciliation agreement between the Palestinians, signed on Wednesday between Hamas and the Fatah movement of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas did not mention these principles. A Hamas leader, Mahmoud Zahar, a Gaza resident, on Thursday rejected any recognition of Israel but said that their 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." From besotted Israeli ministers do not stop pounding with that theme, 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 Yedi Aharonot daily wrote Friday that the Palestinian agreement will facilitate the task of Israeli Prime Minister in Washington, where they must travel in May, "in their efforts to oppose the proclamation of a Palestinian state." However, the newspaper said that sooner or later, "Israel negotiate with Hamas." For its part, the Haaretz daily ridicules "the specter that terrorizes Israel: the Palestinian state" when in fact it should be the "first to support the creation of a state living in peace beside her." 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. 
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," said Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Yigal Palmor Foreign Relations.
"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 a 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 reconciliation agreement between the Palestinians, signed on Wednesday between Hamas and the Fatah movement of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas did not mention these principles. A Hamas leader, Mahmoud Zahar, a Gaza resident, on Thursday rejected any recognition of Israel but said that their 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." From besotted Israeli ministers do not stop pounding with that theme, 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 Yedi Aharonot daily wrote Friday that the Palestinian agreement will facilitate the task of Israeli Prime Minister in Washington, where they must travel in May, "in their efforts to oppose the proclamation of a Palestinian state." However, the newspaper said that sooner or later, "Israel negotiate with Hamas." For its part, the Haaretz daily ridicules "the specter that terrorizes Israel: the Palestinian state" when in fact it should be the "first to support the creation of a state living in peace beside her." 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.
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