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Treasury Secretary John Snow greets Palestinian Minister of Finance Salam Fayyad (Photo: US Treasury Department)
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| By Israel Insider staff and partners March 17, 2007 |
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The United States has decided to leave the door open to contacts with the proposed Palestinian finance minister even though his government will not recognize Israel, renounce violence nor respect past peace deals, two US officials said on Friday, according to a Reuters report.
The desire to maintain such unofficial contacts with Salam Fayyad represents a significant shift in the position of the United States, which previously has been reluctant to deal with members of a government led by Hamas, which it views as a terrorist group.
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas of Fatah and Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh of Hamas this week agreed to form a unity government, ministers of which are expected to be sworn in on Saturday.
The unity government will be headed by Haniyeh, whom the United States refuses to deal with, but it will include Fayyad, a Western-backed economist respected by the Bush administration, as finance minister. The US apparently will speak with the latter, but not the former.
One US official, who asked not to be named because of the sensitivity of the matter, said Washington would not deal with Fayyad in his official capacity as finance minister but had decided to leave the door open to unofficial contacts, Reuters reported. He added that the United States would not view Fayyad, nor Abbas as a terrorist if, as expected, he joins the Hamas-led government.
Palestinian sources suggested that the Bush Administration could rationalize meeting with Fayyad by referring to his role as financial adviser to the Palestine Liberation Organization (which the US no longer views as a terrorist organization, even though it never fulfilled it commitment to renounce its charter calling for Israel's extinction), allowing Washington to keep in touch while maintaining that it is still boycotting the government.
Israel has decided to shun the unity government entirely, and Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni has warned that her country will not be forthcoming in the peace process if its erstwhile allies abandon the three conditions of releasing aid to the terrorist-led government.
The Brits tag along
Britain too appears to be breaking with Israel and will allow diplomatic contacts with non-Hamas ministers in the proposed Palestinian unity government, but it will continue to shun members of the Islamist group, for the time being, European diplomats said on Friday.
The British will continue to meet with Fatah members and independents in the new cabinet, including Fayyad and the incoming foreign minister, Ziad Abu Amr. Only Hamas members will be treif.
Israel has not commented on the apparent British decision. Hamas called it discriminatory.
In March 2006, David Welch, the ranking US diplomat for the Middle East, warned Palestinian leaders and legislators that they would risk being regarded by Washington as part of a terrorist group if they took part in a coalition government with Hamas.
Apparently the risk was not too high. |
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