The US ordered its diplomats and contractors on Wednesday to cut off contacts with Palestinian ministries after a Hamas-led government was sworn in, the State Department said.
At the same time, US President George W. Bush expressed support for the Palestinian people but repeated his position that no US funds should go to the Hamas leadership they elected.
"I think that aid should go to suffering Palestinians, but nor should it go to a government, however, which has expressed its desire to destroy its neighbor," Bush said during a question-and-answer session after he delivered a speech on Iraq.
Hamas is formally committed to the destruction of Israel and is classed by the US government as a terrorist organization. It won a landslide victory in Palestinian parliamentary elections in January.
Democracy
"We support the election process, we support democracy, but that doesn't mean we have to support governments that get elected as a result of democracy," Bush said.
"I weep about the suffering of the Palestinians," Bush said, but added the Hamas-led government had to make a choice.
The US hopes to isolate Hamas and pressure it to recognize Israel, renounce violence and abide by peace accords.
So far, the Islamic militant group has refused, although its leaders have said they would continue to observe a ceasefire with Israel.
A directive, distributed to US diplomats and other officials in the region by e-mail, instructed them with immediate effect not to have contacts with Hamas-appointed government ministers or those who work for them, whether they are members of the group or not, officials said.
"We will not have contact with members of Hamas, no matter what title they may have," said State Department spokesman Sean McCormack.
He said the directive was intended to ensure that US diplomats and officials around the world knew how to deal with Palestinian officials with whom they might come into contact.
McCormack said the US would also examine its contacts with the Palestinian Authority and Palestinian diplomats around the world.
The no-contact policy was more sweeping than many had expected because it applies not just to Hamas members but to independents and technocrats in the new government.
The cutoff could affect a wide range of US programs, including security coordination with the Interior Ministry, officials said.
Contacts will still be permitted with President Mahmoud Abbas, his office and non-Hamas members of the Palestinian parliament, officials said.
The policy took effect when Abbas swore in a Hamas government at a ceremony in Gaza. While Hamas' 24-member Cabinet is dominated by party loyalists, it includes a few independents.
Canadian suspension
Canada also said on Wednesday it was suspending assistance to the Palestinian Authority because the new Hamas-led government refuses to renounce violence and recognize Israel. Hamas responded that Ottawa's decision was hasty and unfair.
"The stated platform of this government has not addressed the concerns raised by Canada and others concerning nonviolence, the recognition of Israel, and acceptance of previous agreements and obligations, including the roadmap for peace," Canadian Minister of Foreign Affairs Peter MacKay said.
"As a result, Canada will have no contact with the members of the Hamas Cabinet and is suspending assistance to the Palestinian Authority," he said.
The Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) is constructing a new counter-stealth radar system on a disputed reef in the South China Sea that would significantly expand its surveillance capabilities in the region, satellite imagery suggests. Analysis by London-based think tank Chatham House suggests China is upgrading its outpost on Triton Island (Jhongjian Island, 中建島) on the southwest corner of the Paracel Islands (Xisha Islands, 西沙群島), building what might be a launching point for an anti-ship missile battery and sophisticated radar system. “By constraining the US ability to operate stealth aircraft, and threaten stealth aircraft, these capabilities in the South China Sea send
HAVANA: Repeated blackouts have left residents of the Cuban capital concerned about food, water supply and the nation’s future, but so far, there have been few protests Maria Elena Cardenas, 76, lives in a municipal shelter on Amargura Street in Havana’s colonial old town. The building has an elegant past, but for the last few days Maria has been cooking with sticks she had found on the street. “You know, we Cubans manage the best we can,” she said. She lives in the shelter because her home collapsed, a regular occurrence in the poorest, oldest parts of the beautiful city. Cuba’s government has spent the last days attempting to get the island’s national grid functioning after repeated island-wide blackouts. Without power, sleep becomes difficult in the heat, food
Botswana is this week holding a presidential election energized by a campaign by one previous head-of-state to unseat his handpicked successor whose first term has seen rising discontent amid a downturn in the diamond-dependent economy. The charismatic Ian Khama dramatically returned from self-exile six weeks ago determined to undo what he has called a “mistake” in handing over in 2018 to Botswanan President Mokgweetsi Masisi, who seeks re-election tomorrow. While he cannot run as president again having served two terms, Khama has worked his influence and standing to support the opposition in the southern African country of 2.6 million people. “The return of
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has rejected a plan for the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to visit Kyiv due to Guterres’ attendance at this week’s BRICS summit in Russia, a Ukrainian official said on Friday. Kyiv was enraged by Guterres’ appearance at the event in the city of Kazan on Thursday and his handshake with its host, Russian President Vladimir Putin, whose forces invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022. Guterres, who called for a “just peace” in Ukraine at the BRICS event and has repeatedly condemned the invasion, discussed a visit to Ukraine with Zelenskiy when they met in New York
RSS