 A senior European Parliament member said Tuesday he believes the EU may be able to continue with direct aid to the Palestinians even after Hamas forms a government. | cause, you know, we really, really WANT to and it seems so unfair that events are making it hard to do that. at least overtly ... |
Hans-Gert Poettering, chairman of the conservative European People's Party, the biggest group in the EU assembly, said any longterm EU aid will be conditional on Hamas' changing its course and recognizing the right of Israel to exist. "We are not entirely pessimistic. ... Opinion polls show that of Hamas voters only a minority supports the (radical) position," Poettering said. "The majority voted for Hamas because they were disenchanted with corruption and the Fatah Party, defeated in this year's elections." "We'd like to give them a chance. It must be clear to them that, long term, this support is only possible if they recognize Israel." | how about substituting "right now" for "long term", okay? |
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