The United States will not deal with Hamas as long as it remains a terror organization, reiterated State Department Spokesman Sean McCormack on Tuesday, one day before the Palestinian parliamentary elections.
“Hamas still has a charter that calls for the elimination of Israel; that calls for the armed struggle; the use of terror and violence… As far as I know, nothing has changed with respect to Hamas. It’s still a terrorist organization and we consider it such,” said McCormack.
The State Department spokesman added that “at this point” the U.S. has no plans to change its policy and start dealing with Hamas.
As for the citizens’ security on the day of elections, McCormack told reporters “[We] encourage the Palestinian Authority to act, to see that there is an election that takes place in a safe, secure environment for the Palestinian people.”
In order to prevent acts of violence, some 60,000 security men already voted earlier this week, and will be able to safeguard the voters.