US reacts cautiously to Hamas victory
Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice today said the US position on Hamas as a terrorist organisation had not changed, despite the militant group’s stunning victory in Palestinian elections.
“You cannot have one foot in politics and another in terror,” Rice told the World Economic Conference in Davos, Switzerland via a telephone hook-up to the State Department.
“Our position on Hamas has therefore not changed.” Rice spoke shortly after Palestinian voters rejected the long-time rule of the Fatah Party, throwing the future of Mideast peacemaking into question.
“Palestinian people have apparently voted for change, but we believe their aspirations for peace and a peaceful life remain unchanged,” she said.
Rice said those goals will require renunciation of violence and terrorism and acceptance of Israel’s right to exist side-by-side with a Palestinian state.
“You can’t have a peace process if you’re not committed to the right of your partner to exist,” she said.
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