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Condoleezza Rice. None too pleased. (AP file)
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| By israelinsider staff and partners January 27, 2006 |
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The way ahead appears bumpy and uncertain, but despite its chagrin at the jolting triumph of Hamas in Palestinian parliamentary elections, the Bush administration will apparently continue to fumble for a formula to bring peace to the Middle East.
One potential step under consideration is economic pressure. Both President George W. Bush and members of Congress may consider halting the millions of dollars in aid the United States has been sending the Palestinians annually in recent years.
The toughest task facing the United States is determining whether the peace process can move ahead and, if so, how. The Bush administration, which has a policy of not dealing with terror organizations, would have to find a way to negotiate with the Palestinians without talking directly to Hamas.
The militant Islamic group is sworn to destroy Israel and has conducted numerous terror attacks against that country.
Urging Hamas to renounce terrorism, which the late Yasser Arafat did under U.S. urging in 1988, President Bush said Thursday, "If your platform is the destruction of Israel, it means you are not a partner in peace. And we're interested in peace."
At a White House news conference, he said a party that seeks Israel's destruction "is a party with which we will not deal." He also said, "Peace is never dead, because people want peace."
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice began preliminary consultations Thursday with her U.N., Russian and European counterparts to discuss their next steps. She will hold talks with them in London on Monday.
Members of the so-called Quartet -- the United States, the European Union, the United Nations and Russia -- issued a statement citing "a fundamental contradiction between armed group and militia activities and the building of a democratic state."
They said the creation of a Palestinian state would require "all participants in the democratic process to renounce violence and terror, accept Israel's right to exist, and disarm."
Rice also talked with Abbas and the Israeli foreign minister, Tzipi Livni.
Bush left open the possibility of halting aid to the Palestinians if their government is dominated by Hamas, a militant Islamic group listed by the State Department as a terrorist organization. This year, the Palestinians are receiving $150 million for development programs on the West Bank and in Gaza.
The threat was echoed on Capitol Hill by a nonbinding Senate resolution condemning Hamas and expressing support for halting assistance to the Palestinian government.
The symbolic resolution, crafted by Sen. John Thune, says aid should be ended if the party controlling the Palestinian parliament advocates Israel's destruction, which Hamas does. It was unclear when the Senate would vote on the proposal.
Congress' reluctance to continue U.S. financial support was also illustrated by lawmakers' comments, including remarks by Rep. Dennis Hastert, who as speaker of the House is the senior official in the House of Representatives.
"Hamas has shown that it prefers terrorism against innocent civilians to pursue its political aims, and the United States should play no role in assisting a majority terrorist parliament," Hastert said in a statement.
In a similar warning, Rep. Eric Cantor, a leader of House Republicans, said, "If Hamas does not join the peaceful nations of the world at the table of cooperation and peace, the consequences will be the loss of America's support and funding for the Palestinians."
Other members of Congress also were critical of Hamas' victory over the more mainstream Fatah Party.
"The Palestinians do not believe there should be an Israel, and all too many of them believe that terrorism is the way to achieve that goal," said Sen. Charles Schumer.
Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham called Hamas' victory "a de facto declaration of war by the Palestinian people against the state of Israel." Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist said the election "casts a serious shadow over the prospects for peace."
Bush called on Mahmoud Abbas, the U.S.-backed Palestinian president and Arafat's successor, to remain in office.
Abbas said he was committed to reaching peace with Israel and suggested talks would be conducted through the Palestine Liberation Organization, a possible way around a Hamas-led government.
The AP contributed to this report.
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