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Last update - 14:17 24/02/2009
Peres: EU sympathy for Hamas diminishes chances of peace
By Haaretz Service
Tags: Israel News, Gaza, Hamas, EU

President Shimon Peres on Tuesday told Hans-Gert Pottering, the president of the European parliament, that European sympathy for Hamas is diminishing the chances of achieving Israeli-Palestinian peace.

Peres said Europe and the international community are harming the peace effort by expressing understanding for the situation in Gaza, which, he said, was essentially expressing understanding for Hamas' terror.

Pottering, who is also president of the Euro-Mediterranean Parliamentary Assembly, was in Israel as part of a fact-finding mission to the Middle East and to contribute to the re-launch of the stalled Israeli-Palestinian peace process.
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Peres also said the Palestinian Islamist group uses its own people as human shields in order to advance its interests. Israel is fighting and will continue to fight relentlessly against terror, but at the same time does not and will not refrain from allowing the flow of food and medicine into Gaza, he added.

The senior European Union official, for his part, told Peres that there is great concern for the humanitarian situation in Gaza, adding that the United Nations had reported a shortage of food and medicine in the Hamas-ruled territory.

Prior to the meeting, Pottering said that, "We believe in a peaceful and lasting solution for the Middle East made under the auspices of the United Nations and based on a two-state solution. We have to help the people of Gaza by opening the borders, while preventing Hamas from arming again."

"We are in favor of peace and resolutely against war and terrorism. This is our message and it will be transmitted to all partners in the region," he concluded.

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      1.   Whats wrong with this stance? 14:34  |  Chris Linthwaite 24/02/09
      2.   "European sympathy for Israel diminishes chance of peace" 14:37  |  Murray 24/02/09
      3.   EU Sympathy for Hamas and Arab world. 15:03  |  David Nigel Braham 24/02/09
      4.   #1 15:13  |  Jon 24/02/09
      5.   To #2 Murray 15:34  |  Ariel 24/02/09
      6.   Hamas has the right to defend itself. 16:37  |  Lou Medel 24/02/09
      7.   There already are 2 states 16:40  |  Observer 24/02/09
      8.   What About US Sympathy For Israel? 16:41  |  Cool B 24/02/09
      9.   Would be so easy to ease world opinion 16:54  |  Dave Duncan 24/02/09
      10.   Logically consistens... 16:56  |  Hannibal 24/02/09
      11.   Only anti-semites can support Hamas and its crimes 17:00  |  David 24/02/09
      12.   EU sympathy for Hamas disqualifies EU from diplomatic processes 17:24  |  Realist 24/02/09
      13.   Peres is right! 17:24  |  Lynn 24/02/09
      14.   I believe we have a failure to communicate 17:39  |  `Doc` Holiday 24/02/09
      15.   Sympathy for Gaza? 17:42  |  Nechama 24/02/09
      16.   Yes, Muslim terrorists have a long history of understanding 17:44  |  JL 24/02/09
      17.   Ad Dave Duncan (#6) 18:06  |  Hannibal 24/02/09
      18.   Peres` way of thinking 18:16  |  Canadian 24/02/09
      19.   Realism is not necessarily sympathy but desperate peres 18:22  |  Labhras 24/02/09
      20.   Ah, JL from NYC 18:34  |  Hannibal 24/02/09
      21.   Could not name one European 18:56  |  maze 24/02/09
      22.   playing the tragic game 19:05  |  S M 24/02/09
      23.   Sympathy... 19:05  |  FCBarca 24/02/09
      24.   Kudos to Lou Medel (#6) 20:23  |  Hannibal 24/02/09
      25.   #4 Jon about Chris Linthwaite - 20:26  |  S 24/02/09
      26.   Labhras-the two state solution is not dead. 20:47  |  Ibrahim 24/02/09
      27.   FCBarca 20:57  |  Ben 24/02/09
      28.   European sympathies 21:10  |  Elina 24/02/09
      29.   EU sympathy for Hamas? NO! EU fear of Muslims. 21:10  |  S 24/02/09
      30.   Israel recently honored Haganah carrier pigeons and handlers. 21:31  |  Maureen Ann 24/02/09
      31.   Jon # 4 why are the Palestinians kept in an open air prison in G 23:00  |  American in NY 24/02/09
      32.   Jon # 4 why are the Palestinians kept in an open air prison in G 23:00  |  American in NY 24/02/09
      33.   Maureen Ann what are you talking about? What sympathy 23:21  |  Nor 24/02/09
      34.   #31 *American* in NY 05:03  |  SG 25/02/09
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