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US bans contacts with Hamas-led government

Posted on: Wednesday, 29 March 2006, 12:41 CST

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.

Source: REUTERS

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