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Last update - 00:27 01/01/2009
Israel stymies French push to lift European boycott of Hamas
By Barak Ravid, Haaretz Correspondent
Tags: Gaza, Hamas, Israel News 

Using intense diplomatic pressure over the past two days, Israeli officials blocked a French attempt to weaken Jerusalem's stance with Hamas at the pre-written closing statement of the meeting of EU foreign ministers in Brussels last night.

France wanted the statement to say that the European Union would be prepared to hold talks with a future Palestinian unity government that agreed to honor the principles of the Israeli-Palestinian peace process. In addition, the French delegation to Brussels proposed striking from the statement an article calling for reopening the crossing points between Israel and the Gaza Strip in accordance with the 2005 agreement between Israel and the Palestinian Authority.

Instead France offered an ambiguous formulation that would make it possible to open the crossings without conditioning such a measure on the presence of representatives of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.
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In the past two days Israeli officials conducted a frenetic diplomatic battle to torpedo the unwanted changes, applying significant pressure on senior EU representatives. The Czech Republic, the current holder of the EU presidency, together with Germany, Italy and the Netherlands, worked together to push the French initiative off the agenda.

Jerusalem views the French move as an attempt to get the Quartet for Middle East peace - the United Nations, the United States, Russia and the EU - to soften its conditions for international recognition of Hamas. A senior Israeli official said Monday that since the end of the Gaza operation, Jerusalem fears a break in European support for the boycott of the Hamas government in Gaza.

Israeli diplomats in Europe have been reporting a new willingness in various European capitals to reevaluate international policy toward Gaza as well as the Quartet's conditions for recognizing Hamas since the end of Operation Cast Lead. The latter includes abandoning terror, recognizing Israel and recognizing previous agreements between Israel and the PA.

Israeli officials are particular perturbed about recent comments by French diplomats, in off-the-record meetings, which claim Hamas cannot be ignored.

"We cannot return to the status quo that existed in Gaza before the Israel Defense Forces operation, and we must come up with creative solutions," one diplomat said.

According to a senior source in Jerusalem, there has been a recent French effort to change the Quartet's terms for recognizing Hamas. French diplomats have told their European colleagues, as well as Israel, that a Palestinian unity government including Hamas cannot be ruled out, pointing to Hezbollah's participation in Lebanon's government as an example.

"If the paralysis in the peace process and in the rehabilitation of Gaza continues, the efforts to soften the Quartet conditions will persevere," an Israeli official said. "It's uncertain that the boycott of Hamas will continue for much longer, especially if a Palestinian unity government is formed."


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      1.   Israel obeys No rules, 80+ UN resolutions 00:59  |  lydia 01/01/09
      2.   Where is 00:12  |  Peksup Puutsa 01/01/09
      3.   Why must Israel always have it way? 00:17  |  John 01/01/09
      4.   French efforts 00:44  |  Dt 01/01/09
      5.   Lydia of Brisbane 00:20  |  Allison 01/01/09
      6.   Jerusalem? 00:30  |  L Parker 01/01/09
      7.   Israeil will eventually lose 00:33  |  Rauul 01/01/09
      8.   Lydia 00:36  |  Brad 01/01/09
      9.   Peksup Puutsa 00:46  |  Brad 01/01/09
      10.   Answer to #3 00:47  |  Dan 01/01/09
      11.   Pressure is off 00:56  |  Bazmann 01/01/09
      12.   France, once again 00:26  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 01/01/09
      13.   Israel , the UN and doble standards 00:20  |  charro 01/01/09
      14.   Spoiling a child is wrong 00:32  |  Palestinian 01/01/09
      15.   Clearly the Israeli war was a great success! 00:07  |  Yigal Arens 01/01/09
      16.   Global products and services boycott 00:15  |  abu isamil sami 01/01/09
      17.   Cherbourg Affront 00:31  |  abu ismail sami 01/01/09
      18.   please, please 00:45  |  rm 01/01/09
      19.   Ignoring Hamas will not make them go away 00:24  |  Natallie Durson 01/01/09
      20.   Israeli politicians, can`t you just "shut up" for once..... 00:27  |  Swiss (Dino) 01/01/09
      21.   Hamas admits to wanting to "annihilate all Jews" 00:51  |  Elly 01/01/09
      22.   #20 The arragant Swiss. Jews can take care of themselves 00:56  |  Elly 01/01/09
      23.   To No. 12, Cipora 00:01  |  Ana 01/01/09
      24.   When Donkeys Fly 00:31  |  Dave 01/01/09
      25.   Spineless West 00:35  |  Jake 1948 01/01/09
      26.   Ana 00:45  |  Jake 1948 01/01/09
      27.   Hamas Natallie & Other Well-wishers 00:11  |  Sam 01/01/09
      28.   Natallie Durson # 19 That`s Not The Point 00:11  |  Jeff Northridge 01/01/09
      29.   Writing is on the wall 00:46  |  Roo 01/01/09
      30.   # 26 - Jeff Northridge 00:17  |  Natallie Durson 01/01/09
      31.   Dino and others 00:31  |  Jozef 01/01/09
      32.   israel has no friends 00:37  |  PETE 01/01/09
      33.   #26 Jake....yes, it is, abuse of power 00:35  |  Lynn 01/01/09
      34.   #20 Swiss(Dino) - I`ve often wondered the same thing... 00:35  |  JP 01/01/09
      35.   Isreal and the world 00:25  |  tommi 01/01/09
      36.   Hamas 00:32  |  Paul Macdonald 01/01/09
      37.   lydia 00:11  |  jop 01/01/09
      38.   israeli 00:45  |  mart 01/01/09
      39.   Point of order ! 00:39  |  Sean 01/01/09
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