Israel considers holding limited ties with Hamas government

Last update - 01:22 07/04/2006


Israel considers holding limited ties with Hamas government

By Aluf Benn, Haaretz Correspondent, Haaretz Service and The Associated Press

Israel is considering limited contact with the Hamas-led Palestinian government as part of efforts to prevent a humanitarian crisis in the territories, senior government officials in Jerusalem said Wednesday.

The sources spoke ahead of a special discussion on Israeli-Palestinian Authority relations to be chaired next week by Acting Prime Minister Ehud Olmert.

According to the sources, any contact with the Palestinian Authority will only take place through those channels aimed at preventing a humanitarian crisis. The sources denied, however, that such a crisis was imminent.

Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh told the first meeting of his cabinet Wednesday that the PA coffers are empty, and warned there would be difficulties paying the March salaries of PA employees. This is the first admission by Hamas that it will have difficulty running the West Bank and Gaza without massive foreign aid.
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http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/702826.html