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.