Israel condemns US over plan to work with Palestinians

An announcement by the US that it will continue working with a new interim Palestinian unity government backed by Hamas, sworn in on Monday, has been greeted with strong condemnation from Israel.

Israel’s prime minister, Binyamin Netanyahu, had asked Washington not to rush into recognising the technocratic government, which enjoys the backing of the two main Palestinian factions, Fatah and the Islamist group Hamas. He said yesterday he was “deeply troubled” by the decision. Other ministers allied with Netanyahu described the announcement by state department spokeswoman Jen Psaki that the US “will work with this government” in far harsher terms.

“Unfortunately, American naivete has broken all records. Any collaboration with Hamas which kills women and children is unacceptable,” said the communications minister, Gilad Erdan, who is considered close to Mr Netanyahu. “This American capitulation can only damage chances of resuming [peace] negotiations,” he added in a statement.

After the signing ceremony Ms Psaki said that “at this point, it appears that President Abbas has formed an interim technocratic government that does not include ministers affiliated with Hamas. With what we know now, we will work with this government.”

The comments were an embarrassing setback for Mr Netanyahu, who had reportedly told fellow ministers he had received assurances from Washington over the weekend the US would not hurry into recognising the new government.

The US response comes amid a growing sense that Mr Netanyahu’s government has backed itself into a corner since the collapse of the peace talks and is struggling to find a response to initiatives announced by Abbas. That includes Abbas’s reconciliation deal with Hamas and his unilateral application to join a series of international bodies and treaties.

Although Israel has threatened punitive sanctions against the Palestinian Authority, including reducing contacts and holding back tax revenues, its room for manoeuvre is limited by the fact that Israel appears to have no real desire to push for moves that would see the Palestinian Authority collapse and force Israel to take over the day-to-day running of the occupied territories.

– (Guardian service)