Norges alenegang overfor Hamas-Fatah-koalisjonen begynner å bli pinlig. De gjentatte forsikringene om at andre nasjoner er i siget, holder ikke stikk. Selv Kina er tilbakeholdne.

EUs skepsis ble tydelig demonstrert da statsminister Ismail Haniye søkte om visum til Nederland for å delta på en konferanse om Europa og palestinerne. Han fikk nei. EU anser fortsatt Hamas for å være en terrorganisasjon.

The Dutch government on Monday ruled out a visit by Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh, saying he will not get a visa because the European Union considers his Hamas party a terrorist group.

Haniyeh’s office contacted the Dutch government to enquire about documents needed to request a visa as the Palestinian premier wanted to attend a conference on the Palestinians and Europe in Rotterdam on May 5, a spokesman for the Dutch Foreign Ministry said.

«He will not be granted a visa, should he request one officially,» the spokesman said. «Hamas is considered a terrorist organization by the European Union.»

«It is consistent not only to avoid contact with Hamas ministers but also not to let them come to the Netherlands or anywhere else in Europe and spread the message of Hamas.»

The European Union has a policy of avoiding contacts with Hamas ministers.

Dutch media reported that Haniyeh had been invited to be the main speaker at a Palestinian-European conference organized by the Dutch-based Palestine Platform for Human Rights and Solidarity.

Et meget kontant avslag, sikkert skarpere enn Nederland trengte opptre. Det sier noe om at den palestinske koalisjonsregjeringen vurderes annerledes av sentrale EU-land enn av Norge. Hvis EU har en annen vurdering enn Norge, hva da med USA? Hva koster Hamas-linjen Norge utenrikspolitisk?

kilde: Haaretz