UAE ministers: Restore pre-Hamas Gaza situation

The foreign ministers of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) called on Palestinians to "turn the clock backwards" in Gaza, and return the Gaza Strip to the conditions prior to Hamas's violent takeover last month, Israel Radio reported Thursday overnight. The UAE ministers published their joint statement following a discussion they held in the Saudi town of Jeddah, on the shore of the Red Sea. The ministers called on the Palestinian people and the international community to recognize the authority of Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas, while respecting the victory of Hamas in the 2006 Palestinian elections by giving the group the majority of seats in the Palestinian parliament.