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| By israelinsider staff March 18, 2007 |
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The Cabinet approved Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's call to boycott the new Palestinian unity government in a landslide vote on Sunday.
Only two ministers voted against the boycott and nineteen ministers voted in favor of the boycott. Education Minister Yuli Tamir and Minister Ghaleb Majadle, the first Arab minister, were the two who voted against the measure, The Jerusalem Post reported.
Earlier Sunday, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert asked the international community to join Israel in agreeing to reject the new Palestinian unity government. However, it appears his overtures may be too late.
The Prime Minister called the government's platform "problematic" and said at the cabinet meeting, "We expect that the international community will not be misled by the creation of the coalition government."
The Quartet has maintained that the aid embargo on the Palestinian government will continue as long the international community's basic stipulations are not met.
However, the US and Britain have already signaled a softening of their positions and said they would be willing to talk to non-Hamas ministers, Reuters reported.
In addition, a number of European countries have announced that they will cooperate with the Palestinian unity government, government spokesman Dr. Ghazi Hamad said Friday, according to Ynetnews.
According to Hamad, Abbas informed Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh that Britain, France, Germany, and Norway are prepared to cooperate with the unity government.
He added that Haniyeh had talks with unnamed European countries and that the countries indicated that they intend to end their boycott on the Palestinian Authority.
Olmert did not renounce the entire Palestinian government and he said he would maintain contact with PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas in order to continue talks dealing with humanitarian issues. He added that serious peace talks were impossible due to Abbas' agreement with Hamas.
"We can't maintain contact with the government or its ministers when you consider that this is a government that does not accept the conditions of the international community and sees terror as a legitimate goal," Olmert said. "We will maintain contacts with the chairman of the Palestinian Authority in all that regards the quality of life of the Palestinian population living in territories under the management of the State of Israel."
Olmert said that the Hamas-led government must make every effort to free kidnapped soldier Gilad Schalit and stop all rocket fire from Gaza and all other terror acts.
Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas gave speeches indicating different agendas during the inauguration of the government on Saturday. Haniyeh will continue to head the government, but its ministers are members of Fatah and other parties, as well as Hamas.
Mahmoud Abbas appealed to Israel to begin serious peace negotiations, while Haniyeh, indicating that Hamas has not changed its extremist stance, said his government would support armed resistance against Israel as well as the return for thousands of Palestinian refugees. |
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