Clinton: U.S. Gaza aid tied to recognition of Israel
By Barak Ravid Haaretz Last update - 03:25 12/03/2009
www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1070450.html

About $900 million pledged by the United States to the Palestinians will be
withdrawn if the expected Palestinian Authority coalition government between
Fatah and Hamas does not recognize Israel's right to exist, Western and
Israeli diplomats said Wednesday.

During her visit to the region last week Secretary of State Hillary Clinton
warned Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas against forming a
coalition with Hamas that will not meet the expectations of the Quartet.

Clinton told Abbas that Congress will not approve funding of a Palestinian
government that does not recognize Israel's right to exist and renounce
violence. She added that if those requirements are not met the U.S.-funded
program under the supervision of General Keith Dayton training PA security
forces would be the first to be axed.

Fatah and Hamas are currently engaged in talks intended to reestablish ties
between the Palestinian factions that were severed two years ago when Hamas
forcibly took over the Gaza Strip, routing Fatah-backed PA security forces.

Clinton discussed the issue of forming a Palestinian coalition with Fatah
representatives, who told her that the new government would consist of
non-affiliated officials whose chief task will be to prepare the Palestinian
territories for new general elections.

She reportedly told the officials she believed holding new elections was
secondary to building the bureaucracy of the Palestinian Authority. The
Obama administration is adamant in maintaining the previous U.S.
presidential administration's position of boycotting Hamas. Two weeks ago
Clinton said lifting the boycott would damage attempts to reach peace in the
region.

French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner recently supported an initiative
aimed at easing sanctions against Hamas. Qatari Prime Minister Hamad bin
Jassim bin Jabir al-Thani is also trying to promote dialogue between the
West, Arab states and Hamas.

Two weeks ago Clinton met with a number of Arab foreign ministers at the
conference held at Sharm el-Sheikh aimed at raising donations for the
rehabilitation of the Gaza Strip, whose infrastructure was badly damaged
during Israel's operation there earlier this year. Talks between the U.S.
diplomat and her Arab counterparts focused on means of distributing money to
Palestinians in Gaza.

During negotiations Clinton insisted that the money be placed solely under
the Palestinian Authority's supervision and strongly rejected offers by Arab
states that they assume responsibility for distribution of the funds. In
total, a record $4.4 billion was raised at Sharm, with Saudi Arabia making
the largest single donation of $1 billion. The donations greatly exceeded
the PA's expectations of raising $2.5 billion total. Egyptian Foreign
Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit said the total figure comes to $5.2 billion.