Officials from the United Nations, the European Union and Russia will meet on Monday in London with United States Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, to discuss the Hamas victory in the Palestinian elections.
Many leaders in the United States and Europe have already expressed their view that as long as Hamas does not renounce violence against Israel and disarm, it will remain on their lists of terror organizations.
“The European Union will not fund the Palestinian Authority under Hamas if it does not renounce violence against Israel,” Germany’s Chancellor Angela Merkel said following talks with Acting Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert in Jerusalem. The EU is the Palestinian Authority’s largest donor, giving it $606m a year.
Washington is also warning that it will cut off its aid worth $400m to the Palestinian Authority.
Statements released on Sunday by Hamas’ top official Mahmoud A-Zahhar, tried to soften the West’s stand towards Hamas.
“We are not considering America as our enemy,” said A-Zahhar during an interview with CBS News. A-Zahhar added Hamas is looking for President George W. Bush “to implement justice.”