Tzipi Livni visits London for talks with Blair

Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni traveled to London on Thursday for talks with British Prime Minister Tony Blair, the last stop on a trip aimed at persuading European leaders to withhold funds from a Palestinian government led by Hamas. Livni met with Foreign Office Minister Kim Howells and held a five-minute news conference before being ushered off to meet with Blair. She warned of the difficulties now facing Israel because of the rise of Hamas, the election of radical Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, as well as the increasing power of other extremist groups. "This is a threat not just to Israel, but to the international community," said the foreign minister.