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Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh
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| By israelinsider staff May 3, 2007 |
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A number of European parliament members met with Palestinian Prime Minister and Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in the Gaza Strip Tuesday, despite the European Union's boycott of the government.
Haniyeh, clearly thrilled with the step, said the meeting was a sign that the West was easing up on its economic boycott. "There are steady and confident steps towards lifting the siege," Haniyeh said after the meeting.
A European Union spokeswoman said, despite all signs to the contrary, that the union's policy of boycotting the Hamas terrorist group had not changed. "The parliament is not the official representative of the European Union in matters of foreign policy," the spokeswoman said.
One of the parliamentarians present at the meeting with Haniyeh, Kyriacos Triantaphyllides from Cyprus, said he disagrees with the boycott and believes the EU should have a relationship with the Palestinian unity government formed with Hamas and President Mahmoud Abbas's Fatah party.
Triantaphyllides said, "We consider this as an opportunity for the road to peace. This financial embargo should be lifted."
However, Israel's Foreign Ministry spokesman, Mark Regev, has a different opinion on the matter. He called the meeting between Haniyeh and the European lawmakers a "very negative occurrence" and added that such dealings with terrorist group Hamas "will not help peace."
Just last week, the EU's aid commissioner said that aid to the Palestinian government would continue to be suspended until it agrees to recognize Israel, renounce violence and terrorism, and abide by agreements reached, as demanded by the Quartet. |
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