Israel issues PM warning to Palestinians

ISRAEL has ratcheted up the pressure on the Palestinian Authority by threatening to cut all ties if a prime minister affiliated to Hamas is chosen after parliament is sworn in this weekend.

But the leader of the militant Islamist movement, which won a landslide victory in last month’s general election, said resistance would continue unless Israel ceased “aggression” toward Palestinian territory.

Israeli Defence Minister Shaul Mofaz threatened to cut all contacts with the Palestinian Authority if parliament is headed by Hamas leaders. “If the Palestinians choose a parliament speaker and prime minister who are affiliated with Hamas, Israel will immediately sever all contact with the Palestinian Authority,” Mr Mofaz told yesterday’s edition of the Yediot Aharonot daily.

The hawkish Mofaz has taken an even harder line than Acting Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, who has said he wants to work with moderate Palestinian leader Mahmuod Abbas, who is not a member of Hamas.

“We refuse to have any contacts with any decision-making body that is headed by Hamas,” a top-ranking Israeli official from the prime minister’s office said.

“This means there will be no transfer of funds (to the Palestinian Authority) and no travel permission for such officials,” the source said on condition of anonymity.

Hamas is widely expected to choose two of its own senior members as premier and speaker at inauguration ceremonies on Saturday.

Mr Olmert, who is standing in for coma-stricken Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, also stressed in a speech on Tuesday that Israel would have no truck with Hamas unless it committed itself to non-violence and recognised Israel’s right to exist.

“Israel will not, under any circumstances, negotiate with a terror organisation whose charter calls for the destruction of Israel,” Mr Olmert said.