Germany and EU to Establish Contacts With New Palestinian Government

Text of report by German news magazine Der Spiegel website on 18 March

The Federal Government and also the EU are moving towards the new Palestinian unity government under the leadership of the radical Islamic Hamas. Behind the scenes, one is thinking about measures to stabilize it. Initially, contacts to moderate ministers are to be permitted. Then it is conceivable, it is said in Brussels, that funds will again flow to the Palestinian government. “They have made great efforts,” says a top diplomat in the Foreign Ministry. “It would be disastrous if we Europeans would now say ‘April fool’.” Up to now, the Middle East quartet – consisting of the United States, Russia, the EU and UN – had stipulated three conditions for a dialogue with the Palestinian government: recognition of Israel, observance of all previous agreements, and an end of terror. Although none of these demands are explicitly met in the government programme of Prime Minister Ismail Hanija, the EU wants to give up its hard attitude. For Hamas, for the first time, at least grants moderate President Mahmud Abbas the sole right to negotiate with Israel about an end to the conflict. In Jerusalem, such thinking meets with strict rejection.

The Israelis are especially alarmed that even the German chancellor, considered a faithful ally, reacted positively to developments in Palestine. Over a week ago, when Angela Merkel at a conference in Berlin lauded the Mecca agreement between Hamas and Fatah as a positive beginning, the attending Israeli minister immediately reported the chancellor’s words to Jerusalem. Prime Minister Ehud Olmert now wants to use his good contacts to Merkel to maintain the boycott of Hamas.

(c) 2007 BBC Monitoring European. Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All rights Reserved.