Olmert: No ties with Hamas-led Authority

[Behind the Aegis]

Israel will cut off ties with the Palestinian Authority, view it as a "hostile" entity and act to prevent Hamas from becoming an established government, Prime Minister-designate Ehud Olmert said yesterday.

Olmert also decided that Israel will refuse to hold official meetings with any public figures from abroad who meet with Hamas officials. This move is a renewal of the boycott Israel imposed on officials who met with the late Palestinian leader, Yasser Arafat.

Olmert said Israel viewed the Palestinians as "one authority, and not as having two heads," but would refrain from a "personal disqualification" of PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas.

Olmert's statements came during a special session he convened in the wake of the swearing-in of the Hamas government, led by Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh. The decisions made at the meeting will soon be presented to the cabinet for approval.

more...