Canada cuts off aid to Hamas govt.

**smilingassassin** · 30 Mar 06,, 05:00

Interesting news to be sure, any thoughts?

http://sympaticomsn.ctv.ca/servlet/A...amas_ap_060329

Canada cuts relations with Palestinian Authority
CTV.ca News Staff

Canada is cutting aid and relations with the Palestinian Authority, Ottawa announced shortly after the Hamas government formally took power Wednesday.

The decision, which makes Canada the first country besides Israel to cut off aid.

"The contingency is that until such time as we see a change in position from the Hamas government and the Palestinian Authority, there will be no direct contact, and there will certainly be no aid flowing through that government," Foreign Affairs Minister Peter MacKay told reporters Wednesday.

Mahmoud Zahar, the new Palestinian foreign minister and Hamas leader in Gaza, called Canada's decision a "political mistake," while seeming to minimize its implications to the Palestinian people.

"We are not in need of the Canadian money," Zahar told CTV News. "We are not begging. We are going to run a very constructive economic system."

He said that Canada's decision to sever ties only encourages the Israeli government to "starve the Palestinian people."

"This is not serving Canadian interests."

However, in an interview with CTV's Middle East bureau chief Janis Mackey Frayer, Zahar left the door open to future talks MacKay, but only if Canada reverses its stance. "Of course, I would meet him… but not with preconditions," he said.

Meanwhile, Youssef Rizka, the newly-installed Palestinian information minister, said the Canadian position shows obvious bias. He said the Canadian government should be asking Israel to admit it is occupying Palestinian land.

In an earlier statement, MacKay said the Hamas platform has failed to address concerns raised by Canada and others "concerning non-violence, the recognition of Israel and acceptance of previous agreements and obligations, including the roadmap for peace."

"A clear commitment by the Hamas government to the principles that we and the international community have outlined remains an essential precondition for Canada to resume any assistance to the Palestinian Authority," he said.

International Co-operation Minister Josee Verner, in the same statement, emphasized that there was an important distinction between aid to the Palestinian Authority and to Palestinians.

"Working with our partners and through the United Nations, its agencies and other organizations, Canada will continue to support and respond to the humanitarian needs of the Palestinian people," Verner said.

"Canada will also continue to work with the voices of moderation within Palestinian society.'"

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas swore in the 24-member Hamas cabinet, which includes 14 ministers who served time in Israeli prisons.

The ceremony, which came just a day after Israel's national election, ended a two-month transition period of ambiguity since Hamas's election victory.

As Israel has banned Hamas leaders from traveling between the West Bank and Gaza, the ministers who were not at Gaza City's parliament building, held a separate ceremony in the West Bank. The two sites were connected by video conference.

Israel's presumed prime minister-designate, Ehud Olmert, has said that if he is unable to broker a deal with the Palestinians, he will unilaterally set the borders of Israel and keep large areas of the West Bank.

With Hamas taking the reins, the Palestinian Authority could face a debilitating international economic boycott.

"With Hamas taking over now, you can't have business as usual," Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Mark Regev said.

Israel suspended tens of millions of dollars in monthly tax transfers to the Palestinian Authority after Hamas's election victory last month. The Israeli cabinet will decide on additional sanctions next week, Regev said.

**Confed999** · 30 Mar 06,, 05:18

Yay for Canada!!!!!!!!

**Officer of Engineers** · 30 Mar 06,, 05:28

This is my country?

Canada has been making a bang lately in the international scene.

A recommittement of the combat brigade to Afghanistan past our current mandate
JTF II hostage rescue in Iraq
And now cutting off ties to a terrorist organization

I'm finally glad we stop begging the terrorists to be nice.

**Confed999** · 30 Mar 06,, 05:34

Originally Posted by Officer of Engineers

This is my country?

Canada has been making a bang lately in the international scene.

A recommittement of the combat brigade to Afghanistan past our current mandate
JTF II hostage rescue in Iraq
And now cutting off ties to a terrorist organization

I'm finally glad we stop begging the terrorists to be nice.

I've noticed the same, you guys are really kicking ass.

**dalem** · 30 Mar 06,, 05:48

Go Canada go!

-dale

**smilingassassin** · 30 Mar 06,, 07:25

Originally Posted by Officer of Engineers

This is my country?

Canada has been making a bang lately in the international scene.

A recommittement of the combat brigade to Afghanistan past our current mandate
JTF II hostage rescue in Iraq
And now cutting off ties to a terrorist organization

I'm finally glad we stop begging the terrorists to be nice.

I know what you mean....and frankly this is why I voted conservative.

FINALLY my govt. stands for something....now if Bush and Harper can fix the softwood lumber dispute all my political wishes will have come to pass....

**Jay** · 30 Mar 06,, 08:55

Except that opportunistic a$$ from Van, everything looks fine in this govt!

**Ray** · 30 Mar 06,, 09:07

Now what?

**lemontree** · 30 Mar 06,, 10:11

Hamas is finally understanding the meaning of democracy.

**smilingassassin** · 31 Mar 06,, 10:28

Originally Posted by Jay

Except that opportunistic a$$ from Van, everything looks fine in this govt!

Yes, I used to think Layton was a decent well grounded politician.......boy he fooled me!!!! Sorry Jack, for the umteenth time there WILL NOT be a debate on the Afganistan mission, find some other issue to gain brownie points on....

**ZFBoxcar** · 31 Mar 06,, 14:55

I thought Jay was referring to Emerson. Not that I like Layton.

But anyways, yeah, great move by the government.

The way this was reported by some of the Canadian media shows the Liberal bias. When the Liberals are in power and they do something, the Toronto Star (we all know its a leftist piece of garbage, but it has the most subscriptions in Canada) say "the government did this..." When the Conservatives are in power the Star says "The Tories did this...(in this case cutting ties with the PA)." It's as though a Liberal Party action on foreign policy is in the national interest, while a Tory action is just a crazy conservative scheme.

**Jay** · 31 Mar 06,, 21:04

Yeah I was referring to Emerson, but as you said Layton is not a saint.

Now after Canada, the Quartet follows suit. But there was one legitimate question by the news anchor, if the West stop its humanatarian aid, Iran and Syria would seize the moment and will start filling up for the west, and we will loose the only hold we had and push them to total isolation.
---------------------------------------------------------

Hamas refuses to bow to pressure
Fri, March 31, 2006
By AP

GAZA CITY, GAZA STRIP -- Hamas's new cabinet ministers started moving into their offices yesterday as western countries began following through on their threats to cut off aid to the Palestinian government if the militant group did not moderate.

Hamas, which won Jan. 25 Palestinian elections in a landslide, has refused western demands to renounce violence, recognize Israel and accept previous agreements between Israel and the Palestinians. The United States, Canada and European Union list Hamas as a terror group.

U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said the U.S. was reviewing its Palestinian aid programs to see which ones it would need to freeze.

"The principle is very clear. We're not going to fund a Hamas-led government, provide funding to a Hamas-led government," she said while on her way to Germany.

Rice said she expected to talk about Palestinian funding with France, Germany and Britain during her trip. "We've been very much on the same page," she said.

Immediately after the new cabinet was sworn in Wednesday, Foreign Affairs Minister Peter MacKay announced Canada was cutting off donations to the Palestinian Authority.

Palestinian Foreign Minister Mahmoud Zahar condemned the move, hinting any country shunning Hamas would be considered "an enemy of the Palestinian people."

The Quartet of Mideast mediators -- the U.S., the EU, Russia and the United Nations -- warned the Hamas-led government yesterday to recognize Israel and seek peace talks if it wanted to be guaranteed continued aid.

"The Quartet concurred that there inevitably will be an effect on direct assistance to that government and its ministries" if those conditions are not met, the Quartet said in a statement.

Israel has stopped transferring tens of millions of dollars a month in taxes it collects on behalf of the Palestinian government and western countries said they would freeze aid to the government while looking for other ways to get aid to the Palestinian people.

http://lfpress.ca/newsstand/News/Int...13508-sun.html

**highsea** · 31 Mar 06,, 21:20

Kudos to Canada. Now if only Bush will step up and follow suit.

**Lunatock** · 31 Mar 06,, 21:29

Originally Posted by Jay

Palestinian Foreign Minister Mahmoud Zahar condemned the move, hinting any country shunning Hamas would be considered "an enemy of the Palestinian people."

You mean they don't consider us to be just that already? It's hard to be swayed by such a warning from the terrorist group that's holding second place for killing the most Americans.