Middle East: Israel could target Hamas leader and Palestinian prime minister-designate Ismail Haniyeh if he is directly involved in attacks, acting Israeli prime minister Ehud Olmert warned in remarks published yesterday.
The European Union, meanwhile, yesterday threatened to cut off aid to a Hamas-led Palestinian government if it did not seek "peace by peaceful means".
Talking to the Jerusalem Post, Mr Olmert said that, "Whoever is involved personally and directly in terror is a target. If Haniyeh commits acts of terror, he is opening himself up to the possibility of being targeted. I hope he doesn't."
Mr Olmert's Kadima (Forward) party holds a decisive lead in opinion polls ahead of national elections on March 28th, but it has been slipping in recent weeks. The acting prime minister, who took over from Ariel Sharon after he suffered a major stroke in early January, has also been accused by the centre-right Likud party of being soft on Hamas. In an effort to stem the decline in the polls, Mr Olmert has been issuing tough statements regarding Palestinian militants.
Hamas, which does not recognise Israel's right to exist, carried out most of the suicide bombings during the intifada uprising, but it has largely abided by a ceasefire declared a year ago. A spokesman dismissed the remarks by the Israeli leader: "Olmert's threats are rejected and once again we confirm these threats do not frighten us and do not worry us," said Sami Abu Zuhri.
In interviews yesterday in all of Israel's major newspapers, Mr Olmert outlined a blueprint for Israel's future, saying he would evacuate many West Bank settlements while boosting major settlement blocs. He said he would set Israel's permanent borders by 2010, which would run more-or-less along the route of the separation barrier. The vast majority of the 250,000 West Bank settlers live in the settlement blocs Mr Olmert wants to retain. "There won't remain a single Jew that we will need to defend beyond the fence," Mr Olmert told the daily Maariv.
European Union foreign ministers, meeting in Salzburg for two days of informal talks, were yesterday reviewing financial aid to the Palestinians. "We want to remain a reliable partner for the Palestinian people, but we will not go soft on our principles," said EU external relations commissioner Benita Ferrero-Waldner. "Money will not flow to the new authority unless it seeks peace by peaceful means."
The EU considers Hamas a terror organisation but has held off on cutting aid to the Palestinian Authority, hoping it can pressure the Islamic movement into adopting more moderate positions.
Last year, EU governments and the EU executive commission together donated about $600 million (€504 million) to the Palestinian Authority.
Mahmoud Zahar, a senior Hamas lawmaker, responded angrily to the EU demands: "What are the peaceful means?" he asked. "Do they want us to respect Israel's decision to kill and detain our children?"