U.S. asks Hamas to return aid money

The Palestinian Authority has agreed to return $50m (£28.7m) of American aid following a request from Washington which said that it refuses to give its money to Hamas-led government that refuses to recognise Israel.

Washington started reconsidering its aid funds to the Palestinians soon after the sweeping victory of the anti-Israel resistance group, Hamas, in Palestine’s Dec.15 elections.

State Department spokesman Sean McCormack was quoted by Reuters news agency as saying that the caretaker government of President Mahmoud Abbas had agreed to return the $50 million, which the U.S. gave the PA last year for infrastructure projects following Gaza withdrawal.

“In the interests of seeing that these funds not potentially make their way into the coffers of a future Palestinian government (made up of Hamas) ... we have asked for it to be returned and the Palestinian Authority has agreed,” McCormack said.

The U.S. President George W. Bush has already made clear that his administration won't deal with Hamas, which the U.S. lists as a “terrorist” group, until it agrees to recognise Israel, a demand that has been repeatedly rejected by Hamas, due to the continuous atrocities committed by the Israeli invading troops against the Palestinians, including the targeted killing of the group’s members, killing civilians, including women and children, land grabs, and demolition of civilian houses.

Hamas' parliamentary victory last month prompted threats by the U.S. and European Union states to end their aid funds to the Palestinians as long as the group refuses to recognize Israel and end its military resistance.

On the other hand, acting Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert ruled out talks with the Palestinian resistance group until it ends its anti-Israel attacks, recognizes Israel's right to exist and respects agreements previously reached between Israel and the Palestinians.

It’s noteworthy that Israel has never fully implemented or showed respect to any of the agreements or peace deals reached with the Palestinian side.

Hamas has made clear it won’t change its ideology, although it promised to stick to a long-term cease-fire if Israel reciprocates.

Hamas is “Misunderstood”

Meanwhile, Khaled Mashaal, Hamas’ exiled political leader said that the world has the wrong image of the anti-Israel group that’s fighting Israeli invaders to liberate the stolen Palestinian lands.

Surrounded by bodyguards on a commercial flight from Ankara to Istanbul, Hamas’ leader called on the international community to stop viewing the resistance group through the eyes of Israel.

"We believe that most of the leaders in Europe, in the West, have ... a wrong image about Hamas, because this image doesn't reflect us. It reflects how some people, especially Israel, see Hamas," Mashaal told The Associated Press.

"We want the world, and especially the countries in the West, to understand us, to understand Hamas well, to understand the will of the Palestinian people, the national goals of Hamas and the Palestinian people."

The world needs to understand that the Israeli occupation started the problem, Mashaal said Friday,

"The first step is the occupation. So our people in Palestine are suffering. This suffering pushes our people in Palestine to defend themselves against the occupation and against the aggression of Israel".

"The international community must make pressure on Israel to recognize our right to get freedom, to fight against occupation, to have real peace, legitimacy on our ground," Mashaal said.

"If the international community obliged Israel to do that, then they can come to us and ask us to take our step."

"It is easy for those countries to make pressure on the weak side," argued Mashaal, referring to the Palestinians. "This is not justice. For this reason the Palestinian people refuse this pressure. It is hypocrisy."

"You can be sure that our feeling is peace and hope, good for all people in the world, but not any side that occupies our land or makes aggression on our people,

"No peace without our legitimate rights. No stability with occupation. No peace with occupation. This is our right."