The European Union European Union will wait until a Palestinian unity government finalizes its policy toward Israel Israel before deciding whether to restore financing to the Palestinian Authority Palestinian Authority. Traditionally pro-Arab nations such as France have been keen to resume direct assistance to the Palestinians after a yearlong boycott of the Hamas-led government that economically devastated the Palestinian territories. The bloc‘s position has been to insist that Hamas recognize Israel, renounce violence and accept past agreements before ties can be re-established. "We simply cannot decide yet when, or even if, we will be able to re-engage with the new Palestinian government of national unity because we will need to see its program and we will need to see its actions," said the EU‘s external relations commissioner, Benita Ferrero-Waldner.
An accord reached last month in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, laid out the framework of a power-sharing deal bringing the moderate Fatah Fatah party into partnership with the militant Hamas group. The EU meeting opened just hours after the failure of the latest round of coalition talks, with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh of Hamas not making any progress at a meeting in Gaza. Two weeks remain in the period allotted to form a government.
On Monday, the U.S. State Department said it would move forward with a proposed $86 million in security assistance to help train forces under Abbas‘ control. Spokesman Sean McCormack spoke after four House Foreign Affairs Committee members, including Chairman Tom Lantos (news, bio, voting record), D-Calif., urged Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice Condoleezza Rice to reconsider the plan in light of the recent power-sharing agreement between Fatah and Hamas. Abbas‘ Fatah party is eager to restart peace efforts with Israel, but Hamas has refused to abandon its commitment to Israel‘s destruction.