Bush: No contact with Hamas till they recognize Israel
Palestine-Israel-USA, Politics, 5/5/2006

Addresing an American Jewish Committee gathering yesterday, US President George W. Bush said that the his administration would not contact Hamas till Hamas recognizes Israel's right to exist.

Bush said "My administration shares a strong commitment with the AJC to make sure relations between Israel and America remain strong. We have so much in common. We're both young countries born of struggle and sacrifice. We're both founded by immigrants escaping religious persecution. We have both established vibrant democracies built on the rule of law and open markets. We're both founded on certain basic beliefs, that God watches over the affairs of men, and that freedom is the Almighty God's gift to every man and woman on the face of this earth. These ties have made us natural allies, and these ties will never be broken. America's commitment to Israel's security is strong, enduring and unshakable."

Bush said "I'm looking forward to my meeting with Prime Minister Olmert in a couple of weeks. And as he comes to America, I cannot help but think about my friend, Ariel Sharon. Ariel Sharon is a friend who remains in our thoughts and prayers. He is a man of courage, and a man of peace. And so tonight we pray for his recovery; we rededicate ourselves to the cause to which he devoted his life, the peace and the security of Israel."

Bush said "As you know, I'm a strong believer in democracy and free elections, but that does not mean we have to support elected officials who are not committed to peace. Hamas has made it clear that they do not acknowledge the right of Israel to exist, and I've made it clear that so long as that's their policy, we will have no contact with the leaders of Hamas."

Bush added "Democratically leaders cannot have one foot in the camp of democracy and one foot in the camp of terror. Hamas must accept the demands of the international community to recognize Israel, disarm and reject terrorism, and stop blocking the path to peace."

US Department Of State officials said yesterday "We have a Hamas-led government which has failed to -- it will not recognize the state of Israel, will not renounce violence, will not renounce terror and doesn't recognize the Palestinian Authority's previous commitments. That said, President Abbas, we believe, is still an important figure within the Palestinian political system, within Palestinian society, has great moral authority in terms of speaking out on behalf of the cause of peace and the cause of realizing a Palestinian state via the negotiating table. So we would hope -- we would hope, at some point in the future, that Hamas does make the decisions that the international community has called upon it to make that would allow us to get back to the negotiating table. But at the moment, that's not where we are, because there isn't a partner for peace on the Palestinian Government side... we have a Hamas-led government. We have a Prime Minister that is a member of Hamas, a terrorist organization. So it is hard to have a negotiating partner when the government is led by a member of a terrorist organization and his cabinet comprises members of a terrorist organization. "

White House spokesman Scott McLellan yesterday said about countries that are breaking rank and talking to Hamas "if countries are meeting with Hamas, they ought to be reiterating the importance of Hamas making the right choice to agree to follow what the Quartet called for."

Previous Stories:
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  Hamas accuses US of pressuring Palestinian groups   (3/21/2006)
  Harvard report: Israeli lobby harms United States interests   (3/17/2006)
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