 THE United States has reiterated conditions for a resumption of aid to the Palestinians, after Hamas warned any unity government with president Mahmud Abbas would not recognise Israel.
| We knew they would. Maybe AP didn't know they would, but we did. Even if a statement to that effect were to emanate from Hamas lips, another set of Hamas lips would deny it within 12 hours. |
The Hamas statements dealt another blow to hopes for a new Palestinian government and the return of desperately needed direct Western aid, frozen after the radical Islamic group took power earlier this year.
| The idea is to pretend, which'll get the EU ready to start up the aid machine, then announce they were only funnin'. Eventually the aid will restart without them actually having to do anything other than play charades. |
State Department deputy spokesman Tom Casey said the diplomatic quartet sponsoring Middle East peace moves, comprising the European Union, Russia, United Nations and United States, had made its requirements clear. "The only way forward is to have a Palestinian Authority government ... that adopts the conditions laid out by the Quartet previously back in January," he said. Hamas is required to recognise Israel, renounce violence and abide by past peace agreements, under the conditions. "That's what we're all looking for, and I think that's what's important for us as we move forward," said Mr Casey.
| So far, since the appearance of the Paleostinian Authority, we've moved anywhere but forward. We've moved to the left, moved to the right, move a little bit up, moved a little bit down. On a very few rare occasions we've taken a step forward, but it's been followed immediately by a step back. It has never been movement. The best we've been able to do is a kind of oscillation. |
Hamas earlier defied Abbas by insisting a unity government would not recognise Israel - contrasting with remarks by Abbas to the United Nations - and risking further delays to floundering talks between the two sides. |