UK: Lawmakers warn against boycott of Hamas gov't

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
A British parliamentary committee warned that the international boycott of the Hamas-led Palestinian government could set back the Middle East peace process and lead to further violence, in a report published Wednesday. The Commons International Development Committee report called the policy of trying to isolate the democratically elected government "questionable." The US and the European Union have been enforcing a boycott of financial aid to the Palestinian government since Hamas took office in January 2006. They have demanded the group renounce violence and recognize Israel's right to exist - conditions Hamas rejects. The committee's report said the move had driven Hamas to forge closer links with Iran as it sought support elsewhere. "We doubt whether this is a development that the international community would have intended," the report said.