Good on them!
From
Bloomberg:
Israel Approves Sanctions on Hamas-Led Palestinians
Acting Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's cabinet approved sanctions against the Palestinian Authority today as the militant Hamas group nominated Ismael Hania for prime minister.
The punitive actions include freezing the monthly transfer of about $50 million in tax and customs fees that Israel collects on behalf of the Palestinian Authority and reducing the number of Palestinians allowed to work in Israel, a government statement said. The measures take effect when the new Hamas-led Palestinian cabinet is set up, which could take as long as five weeks.
"It is clear that with a majority for Hamas in the legislature and with the formation of a government under the leadership of Hamas, the Palestinian Authority will become a de facto terrorist authority and Israel cannot accept this," Olmert said, according to the statement.
The Palestinian Legislative Council yesterday held its first meeting since the election and agreed that Hamas will start negotiations to form a government. Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, who belongs to the rival Fatah party, called on Hamas to disarm militants and abide by peace agreements with Israel, a request Hamas members rejected.
Emphasis mine. That is the reason for Israel's action. This is not an act to get rid of Hamas, this is an act to get them to wake up and smell the cappuccino. Israel is not going away and if they want to get the money to play "nation" with, they will need to act like a responsible nation.
I feel sorry for them in a sense, they have to climb out from under Arafat's legacy of corruption and terrorism support. If they can manage this, Israel will bend over backwards to help them. If not, say buh-bye!
Posted by DaveH at February 19, 2006 8:42 PM