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Former President Jimmy Carter (AP File Photo)
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| By Associated Press February 21, 2006 |
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Former President Jimmy Carter, in an opinion piece published Monday, urged the U.S. and Israeli governments to allow the Palestinians to form a government without financial interference, despite concerns about the militant Hamas group that won a majority of parliamentary seats.
Hamas on Monday began talks to form the Palestinians' first government led by Islamic militants. Hamas controls 74 of 132 parliament seats and could govern alone, but has said it seeks coalition partners including moderates, apparently to help win international acceptance.
"During this time of fluidity in the formation of the new government, it is important that Israel and the United States play positive roles," Carter wrote in a piece in Monday's edition of The Washington Post.
"Any tacit or formal collusion between the two powers to disrupt the process by punishing the Palestinian people could be counterproductive and have devastating consequences."
Israel has halted the transfer of hundreds of millions of dollars in tax money, branding the Palestinian government a "terrorist authority" Sunday after Hamas took control of the parliament. U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice announced last week that no U.S. assistance will be provided to a Hamas-led Palestinian government.
Carter, who was an observer at last month's Palestinian elections, suggested the U.S. could bypass the Hamas-led government and channel humanitarian funds for health care and schools through United Nations agencies.
"This common commitment to eviscerate the government of elected Hamas officials by punishing private citizens may accomplish this narrow purpose, but the likely results will be to alienate the already oppressed and innocent Palestinians, to incite violence, and to increase the domestic influence and international esteem of Hamas," Carter wrote.
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