Palestinian Deal Troubles U.S.

[Purveyor]

(02-08) 16:15 PST WASHINGTON, (AP) --

A power-sharing deal between the secular, U.S.-backed Palestinian leader and his Islamic militant rivals complicates an emerging U.S. effort to invigorate dormant peace prospects with Israel.

The deal announced Thursday between warring Palestinian factions does not expressly commit the new government to conditions the United States has called essential first steps toward any political accommodation between Israel and the Palestinians.

The Bush administration said little in public about the agreement, but officials were troubled at the prospect of a unified Palestinian government that will not renounce violence or recognize Israel.

"We're going to have to see," said White House press secretary Tony Snow. "At this juncture they are very preliminary reports and we have not had any opportunity to study what may have been worked out there."

---snip---

Indyk raised the possibility of a U.S. split with Russia and Europe. At a news conference with Rice last week, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov made a point of expressing opposition to international isolation of Hamas.

Russia and European nations "may now say, 'This is what the Palestinians have produced, now we have to work with them,'" Indyk said.

---end of excerpt--

http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2007/02/08/national/w161541S67.DTL

[Kagemusha]

1. Quick, peace! Stomp it! Stomp it fast!!

Can't let it spread!!

(Slight caricature of the reaction of the US government)

[barb162]

2. this doesn't sound like peace at all

"...a unified Palestinian government that will not renounce violence or recognize Israel."

[pocoloco]

3. or visa versa

[IndianaGreen]

4. America is not for peace in the Middle East, but for the status quo

Worse yet, the Bush regime is totally opposed to anything that goes beyond a photo op. How many hours has Bush 43 spent on Middle East peace efforts in the last 6 years? I think that if we can count more than 10 minutes, that's too many.

[Scurrilous]

5. ANALYSIS: New PA government creates a real problem for Israel

<snip>

"The new Palestinian unity government creates a real problem for Israel. It will be headed by a senior Hamas figure, Ismail Haniyeh. Moreover, it will not recognize Israel and does not pretend to meet the Quartet's conditions, as one Hamas leader said.

Yet the same time, it is not a Hamas government, and Hamas will not have a majority in the cabinet. The finance minister-designate, Salem Fayad, is the White House's darling. The foreign minister-designate, academic Ziad Abu Amar, has lectured at many American universities and does not have extremist positions on Israel. And the interior minister, who commands the security forces, will be an independent rather than a Hamas member, though he will be appointed on Hamas' recommendation.

Under these circumstances, Israel and the U.S. will have trouble demanding that the international economic boycott of the Palestinian government remain in place.

The other members of the Quartet - the European Union, the United Nations and Russia - have been annoyed for some time by Washington's opposition to a unity government, and once one is in place, in another few weeks, some or all of these parties are liable to announce the resumption of relations with the Palestinian Authority."

more

[Scurrilous]

6. Russia welcomes Mecca deal, urges lifting freeze

<snip>

"Russia on Friday welcomed an agreement by rival Palestinian factions to form a unity government and appealed for the lifting of a freeze on direct aid to the Palestinian government.

Hamas and its rival movement Fatah signed a deal earlier this week to end factional violence and form a coalition.

"We think the future Palestinian national government ... will be an important factor in the process of reviving Israeli-Palestinian talks," the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

"We also believe the implementation of Mecca agreements should be combined with lifting a blockade of the Palestinian territories which has inflicted suffering and hardship on the people."

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/823843.html