EU may cut aid if Hamas wins at polls
(AP)
Updated: 2005-12-19 09:36

Europe's top diplomat warned Sunday the European Union might cut off aid to the Palestinian Authority if Hamas militants win next month's parliamentary election, reflecting international alarm over the Islamic group's strong showing in West Bank local voting.

Javier Solana, the EU's foreign policy chief, said during a tour of the region that European taxpayers would have a hard time supporting the Palestinian government if it included a party that supports violence and advocates Israel's destruction.

The U.S. House of Representatives approved a similar declaration Friday. The Palestinian Authority counts on foreign aid for half its budget.

Also Sunday, Palestinian militants fired a rocket from northern Gaza into Israel, causing no damage or casualties in an industrial zone of Ashkelon, Israel Army Radio said.

Another rocket exploded last week near the zone, which includes sensitive installations. That has raised Israeli concerns that future rocket attacks could cause significant damage.

Since Israel's summer withdrawal from Gaza, militants can approach closer to the border fence to fire their rockets since settlements no longer block their way.

In this photo released by the Palestinian Authority, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, right, meets with European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana, left, in Gaza City Sunday, Dec. 18, 2005.[AP]

Israeli aircraft responded to Sunday's attack by firing two missiles at roads in northern Gaza, Palestinians and the military said. No one was hurt.

Deputy Defense Minister Zeev Boim said Israel's military should go beyond its current practice of firing artillery shells and missiles at the fields in northern Gaza where militants launch the rockets.

Boim told Israel Radio that Israel should strike militant cells "in the areas where they prepare them (rockets) and the areas where the launching teams are located ... even if they are populated." He added that Israel should call for the evacuation of Palestinian civilians first.

At Sunday's weekly Israeli Cabinet meeting, Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz said recent attacks demonstrated the Palestinian Authority's "increasing helplessness" in dealing with militants.

The main challenge facing the Palestinian Authority now is the Jan. 25 election for parliament, where Hamas is fielding legislative candidates for the first time to challenge Fatah, which has ruled Palestinian politics for decades.

Last week, the younger generation of Fatah leaders split from the party and formed their own group, Future, leaving Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas and other Fatah old-timers with a candidate list filled with Fatah veterans that many Palestinians consider corrupt.

The split was expected to weaken Fatah just as Hamas got a large boost its string of victories last week in West Bank local elections.

On Sunday, Siyad Siyam, a Hamas leader in Gaza, said the group would consider joining the Palestinian Cabinet after the election to push its agenda of promoting reform and ending corruption.

In particular, he said Hamas has its eyes on some of the Palestinian security branches, which he called "one of the areas of corruption" and "an object of our interest to reform."

The prospect of Hamas success in the parliamentary election has set off alarms around the world.

On his visit to Tel Aviv and Gaza, Solana warned that EU funds for the Palestinians could disappear if Hamas wins.

"It would be very difficult for the help and the money that goes to the Palestinian Authority to continue to flow," he said. "The taxpayers in the European Union, members of the parliament of the European Union, will not be in a position to sustain that type of political activity."

EU assistance is slated to reach $312 million in 2006.

His warning came after the U.S. House passed a resolution Friday stating that American support for the Palestinian Authority would be at risk by any Hamas participation in government.

Gaza strongman Mohammed Dahlan, a prominent member of the Future Party, conceded that Fatah infighting is helping Hamas. Talks were under way Sunday toward reuniting the party, but it appeared likely the closest they would come to fixing the rift would be a pledge to cooperate after the election.