Israel wants Hamas out of Palestinian elections

The Israeli prime minister Ariel Sharon said in a speech before American Jewish leaders that he had asked the UN and the European Union to pressure the Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to ban the participation of the Islamic resistance movement Hamas in the next legislative elections.

He said he will be meeting Abbas on October 2nd. He said that the Palestinian president will make a grave mistake if he permits Hamas to take part in the elections before Hamas dismantle its weapons. Sharon threatened that the Israeli occupation forces will not facilitate the voting process in the West Bank if Hamas participates in the elections.

One assistant to Sharon said this means not facilitating the access of the Palestinian to the voting centers in the areas where check points for the Israeli army exist, or helping in carrying out elections in east Jerusalem.

The Israeli prime minister considered that there will be no progress towards a Palestinian state unless the Palestinian groups are disarmed, in implementation of the Roadmap peace plan.

Sharon concluded a 6-day visit to New York during which he took part in the UN world summit. By the end of his visit, Sharon met with the UN secretary general Kofi Annan who also held talks on Sunday with the Palestinian foreign minister Nasser al-Qidwa.

A statement for the UN said that Annan notified Sharon that Isdrael needs to support the Palestinian authority as it had control by now on Gaza. He also stressed to al-Qidwa that the withdrawal from Gaza is an important opportunity for the Palestinians, expressing hope that this will be a step towards the resumption of complete peace talks .

Worthy mentioning that the last meeting Sharon met with Abbas was on June 21, 2004 at the premises of the Israeli Prime minister in Jerusalem.