Olmert warns against demonising all Palestinians

Acting Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has warned against considering all Palestinians as Israel's enemies after the violent Islamic Hamas won a parliamentary election in January.

Campaigning yesterday before Israel’s March 28 general election, Olmert urged Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas to require the new Palestinian government, which Hamas is forming, to uphold agreements with Israel signed by previous regimes.

Olmert differed with his foreign minister, Tzipi Livni, who called Abbas “not relevant” in the wake of the Hamas victory.

She said that the victory risks transforming the Palestinian Authority into a terrorist body, and warned European leaders against providing funds to a Palestinian government led by Hamas.

“The idea is to try to find a way to act very strongly against the new terrorist government once it is formed and to avoid a humanitarian crisis,” Tzipi said yesterday in Paris, her second stop on a European tour.

She said humanitarian issues should be resolved “in an independent manner” but did not elaborate.

Livni also called Iran a “threat to world peace and stability”.

“Iran also constitutes a threat to the entire world,” she said, referring to “its active support of terrorist organisations like Hamas”.

Nevertheless, the Israeli minister played down concern that Iran could extend aid to the Palestinians as it recently offered to do.

“We cannot believe they will finance the entire (Palestinian) Authority because we are talking about a budget of billions of dollars,” she said. Iran last month offered to help the Palestinians compensate for any Western aid cuts following Hamas’ January 25 victory.

Livni said that Hamas’ election win “could transform the Palestinian authority into a terrorist entity.” Olmert said, “We shall not declare every Palestinian an enemy. Hamas is the enemy.”

Olmert said Israel would pursue any opportunity for peace, but at the same time it would relentlessly fight Palestinian terrorism. He singled out Gaza militants who have been firing home-made Qassam rockets at Israel.

“No one who fires off a Qassam rocket will have a moment’s rest, because we shall seek him out everywhere, track him everywhere, reach him and make sure he is not able to do it.”

In violence yesterday, the top Islamic Jihad commander in Gaza was killed in a mysterious blast in Gaza City. The militant group blamed Israel, but the Israeli military denied involvement.

In the West Bank, Palestinian gunmen killed an Israeli and seriously wounded another in two shooting incidents.

The Islamic Jihad militant, Khaled Dahdouh, 45, was killed instantly when his car exploded on a Gaza street. Witnesses said it blew up as he opened the door. There were unmanned Israeli planes in the area, but no witnesses reported seeing a missile.

Islamic Jihad has ignored a year-long ceasefire between Israel and the Palestinians, and Israel has frequently targeted Islamic Jihad leaders in airstrikes, quickly claiming credit.

In the northern West Bank yesterday, Palestinian militants killed one Israeli and wounded another.

A poll published yesterday showed Olmert’s centrist Kadima Party, founded by Ariel Sharon, losing some support but still holding a wide lead over its two main rivals.

The weekly poll for the Haaretz daily and Channel 10 TV showed Kadima winning 37 seats in the 120-member parliament, down two from the week before. However, the hard-line Likud, with 15 seats, and moderate Labour, with 19, were not mounting a significant challenge, the survey found.

Sharon founded Kadima in November after bolting Likud because of its opposition to his pullout from the Gaza Strip last summer. Initial polls showed the party winning more than 40 seats.

Sharon was felled by a massive stroke on January 4 and has not regained consciousness. Olmert has taken over as Kadima candidate for prime minister.