Merkle and Olmert reject dealing with Hamas

AP:

Israel and Germany agreed Sunday that there should be no contacts with a Palestinian government headed by Hamas, the leaders of the two countries said after meeting in Jerusalem at the beginning of German Chancellor Angela Merkel's visit.

Merkel's 24-hour trip to Israel and the Palestinian territories makes her the first world leader to visit the region since Hamas won an overwhelming victory in Palestinian parliamentary elections last week.

She has refused to meet Hamas officials and has expressed similar concerns to those of other world leaders regarding the Islamic militant group, which has carried out scores of suicide bombings against Israel and does not recognize the Jewish state's right to exist.

The Merkel visit to Israel is also the first by a major world leader since Prime Minister Ariel Sharon was incapacitated following a massive stroke on Jan. 4.

At a joint news conference after their talk, Merkel and acting Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert took a tough line against Hamas.

Olmert said they agreed that "there should be no negotiations with a government that consists of terror groups and bodies that deal with terror and do not accept the existence of Israel."

Merkel said Germany would study Hamas' behavior, but she added that it was "unthinkable" for Germany and the European Union to give financial support to a Hamas-led Palestinian Authority that does not recognize Israel or renounce violence.

...

Merkle is already better than Schroeder. There is more.

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