Palestinian economics min. tells world to give Hamas chance-Haaretz

[Coastie for Truth]

Senior Palestinian officials attending the World Economic Forum urged Israel and the world community to give Hamas a chance, suggesting they expected the militant group to change in the wake of its stunning election victory in the West Bank and Gaza.

"The international community should maintain (its) support of the Palestinian people if we are really seeking a prosperous region, a stable region, and would like to see a viable (Palestinian) state," Palestinian National Economy Minister Mazen Sinnukrot said Friday.

"The international community, especially from Europe, the States, Japan, the Arabs have been ... supporting our budget, supporting our infrastructure projects, our institutions," he said.

<<<snip>>>

Afghanistan Foreign Minister Abdullah Abdullah said Hamas was in a situation where its actions would be heavily scrutinized. "They have come into a position of responsibility and the world will expect them to act 100 times more responsibly than they have in the past," he told The AP. "How do they contribute to the peace and to the success of the roadmap and to the ... successful conclusion of the road map, two states living in peace with each other."

<<<snip>>>

Arab League: Hamas must recognize Israel
Hamas will have to accept the Beirut initiative, which calls for full Arab recognition of Israel, despite its declared stands, Arab League Secretary General Amr Moussa said Friday, following the Hamas victory in the Palestinian legislative elections.

<<<snip>>>