Ignoring the PA Election Results
An international consensus is building that Hamas will have to agree to recognize Israel and halt attacks before they are allowed to form a Palestinian government. Despite Hamas’ clear victory in January’s elections, officials are suggesting that Abbas can continue to lead a “caretaker” government until Hamas has time to turn around — without setting a timetable for such a turnaround.
Notably, Arab nations are joining this consensus. Tzipi Livni, a major rising star in Kadima, formerly of Likud, met yesterday with Hosni Mubarrak and other Egyptian leaders. Egypt’s intelligence chief Omar Suleiman spoke to the Israeli press after the meetings and stated that Abbas would not be obligated to include Hamas in a future government if the organization did not accept Israel’s demands.
I suppose this sort of pressure makes sense, but it’s not what I expected. Anyhow, read about Livni’s visit:
- Livni gets sympathetic hearing in Cairo on Hamas (Jerusalem Post)
- Egypt demands PA stop violence as condition for peace talks (Haaretz)