US bans contacts with Hamas-led government

By Adam Entous

JERUSALEM (Reuters) – The U.S. government told its
diplomats and contractors on Wednesday to sever contacts with
Palestinian ministries after a Hamas-led government was sworn
in, American officials said.

A directive, distributed to diplomats and other officials
in the region by email, instructed them not to have contacts
with Hamas-appointed government ministers, whether they are
members of the Islamic militant group or not, the officials
said.

The no-contact policy, which took effect just before 6
p.m., also applies to those who work for the ministers, they
said.

The United States hopes to sideline Hamas and pressure it
to recognize Israel, renounce violence and abide by peace
accords. Hamas, sworn to Israel’s destruction and branded a
terrorist organization by Washington, won Palestinian elections
in January.

The no-contact policy was more sweeping than many had
expected because it applies not just to Hamas members but to
independents and technocrats in the new government.

The decision could impact a wide range of U.S. programs,
including security coordination with the interior ministry,
officials said.

Contacts will still be permitted with President Mahmoud
Abbas, his office and non-Hamas members of the Palestinian
parliament, officials said.

INDEPENDENTS INCLUDED

The policy took effect when Abbas swore in a Hamas
government at a ceremony in Gaza. Hamas’s 24-member cabinet is
dominated by Hamas loyalists, but does include a few
independents.

A U.S. official said independents and technocrats were
included in the ban because they were “invited to join the
government by a Hamas prime minister and are in that position
as a virtue of a vote of confidence by a Hamas-led PLC
(parliament).”

Officials said the no-contact policy applies to all parts
of the U.S. government, as well as to organizations that
receive U.S. funding for projects and services in the
Palestinian territories.

Asked if the restrictions would make it hard for Washington
to function diplomatically in the region, one official said:
“We feel we still have a viable Palestinian interlocutor in the
form of Abbas, who is democratically elected.”

U.S. law bars the government from providing direct
assistance to any group that is on the State Department’s list
of banned “terrorist organizations.”

Israel has frozen tax revenue transfers to the Palestinian
Authority.

While it has ruled out contacts with Hamas-appointed
ministers, the Jewish state has yet to spell out its policy on
lower-level contacts with technocrats. An Israeli official said
the issue would be discussed during a cabinet meeting on
Sunday.