As Palestinians move towards unity, Oxfam calls for international support

International aid agency Oxfam said it is imperative that the international community welcomes reconciliation In order to improve the lives of Palestinians divided between Gaza and the West Bank.

As Palestinian political factions are making strides towards an interim unity government, the aid agency called on the international community to abandon the “failed policy of non-engagement” and begin dialogue with all the major Palestinian parties.

Oxfam International Executive Director Jeremy Hobbs saidthe divide between Fatah and Hamas has compounded the suffering of civilians in Gaza, already living under the Israeli blockade, leaving them with less access to essential services such as adequate electricity, clean water, and essential drugs.

But Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hinted on Thursday in discussions with a visiting delegation of U.S. Congress members that the United States should consider stopping economic aid to the Palestinian Authority if a Hamas-Fatah unity government did not recognize Israel and renounce terror.

Speaking to the American legislators, Netanyahu quoted remarks by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in April 2009, that Israel would not hold talks with or economically support a Palestinian government, including Hamas, until Hamas recognized Israel and abandoned violence.

Senior government officials familiar with the details of yesterday’s meeting of the septet said the main decision was to launch a diplomatic campaign, with particular emphasis on the European Union, to thwart international recognition of the unified Fatah-Hamas government. Intelligence officials told the septet that Hamas had agreed to sign a reconciliation agreement with Fatah out of Hamas’ fears over the implications for its organization in light of the riots in Syria.

Israel is expected to demand that the international community boycott the new government if it does not meet the conditions the Quartet has set for Hamas.

After Hamas won a majority in the 2006 elections to the Palestinian parliament, the Quartet − consisting of the United States, Russia, the European Union and the United Nations − demanded that Hamas recognize Israel and existing agreements and renounce terror in exchange for international recognition.

Foreign Ministry Director General Rafael Barak sent a classified cable to Israel’s ambassadors to the EU, directing them to to make clear that Israel expects European leaders not to automatically release statements welcoming the Palestinian unity government. “Hamas is a terror organization and the demand must first be made that it meet the conditions of the Quartet,” he wrote.