Washington against Hamas in the government

The White House announced prior rejection to any contacts with representatives for the Islamic resistance movement Hamas who might win the next legislative elections in the Palestinian territories due on January 25th, 2006.

The spokesman for the American national security council Fred Jones said that the movement remains "a terrorist group" in the eyes of the US and that it should hand over its weapons and give up violence.

These statements came following a statement made by the Israeli foreign minister Silvan Shalom in which he announced that Israel will not agree to Hamas's participation in the next parliamentary elections.

But Jones said that defining which persons are permitted to take part in the elections is decided by the Palestinian authority, but he indicated that Washington does not consider that no democratic state can be built when candidates and parties seek the authority not only by ballot centers but through implementing terrorist acts.