Egypt: Hamas Must Recognize Israel

(CBS/AP)  Three top Egyptian officials Wednesday called on Hamas to recognize Israel, disarm and honor past peace deals in a drive by Arab governments to push the militant Palestinian group to moderate after its surprise election victory.

A Palestinian official denied, however, that Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas, whose mainstream Fatah organization was battered by Hamas in the elections, had declared he would not work with the militant organization to form a new government unless it renounced violence.

The denial came after an Israeli Foreign Ministry official had said Abbas had set such a condition.

Abbas will meet with Hamas leaders in Gaza on Friday to consult on the forming the next Palestinian government, said the official, who is close to Abbas. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the issue with reporters.

The rapid exchange of statements was a sign of just how frenzied negotiations concerning Hamas have become in the days since it won the surprise election victory last week. Arab countries have joined Israel in its fear that the rise of Hamas might boost the momentum and popularity of radical groups in their own countries.

Hamas itself also gave out somewhat conflicting signals.

In other developments:

Thousands of club-wielding riot police, backed by bulldozers and water cannons, began evacuating Amona, an illegal Israeli outpost in the West Bank, pulling stone-throwing settlers from rooftops in the fiercest confrontation over settlements since Israel's pullout from the Gaza Strip last summer. Settlers pelted rocks, eggs and paint-filled balloons at helmeted riot police, who approached barricaded rooftops in the shovels of bulldozers. From behind barbed wire ringing the roofs, protesters also used sticks to beat back troops climbing up ladders. Dozens of people were injured, and more than 40 rioters were arrested. Israeli media said more than 50 police officers were among the injured, including one who was in serious condition.

Israel has frozen this month's transfer of $45 million in tax rebates and customs payments to the Palestinian Authority while it reviews its options following the Hamas victory in last week's election. "There is a concern on our side that the moneys transferred will come back to haunt us in the form of suicide bombings," said Mark Regev, the Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman.

In his State of the Union address Tuesday night, President Bush said the "leaders of Hamas must recognize Israel, disarm, reject terrorism and work for lasting peace." Hamas deputy leader Moussa Abu Marzouk rejected this call. Abu Marzouk insisted that "Hamas changes neither its skin nor its principles and it will deal with the West on this basis."

The Palestinian envoy to the EU on Wednesday urged the bloc not to base its policies toward the Palestinian Authority on fear of Hamas. The envoy, Leila Shahid, also cautioned the international community not to call into question the results of last week's election. "There has been a demonization of Hamas," Shahid said. "Fear leads people to the wrong decisions. The stakes are too high in the long term, they deserve to be judged carefully."

In the Gaza Strip, an explosion blew out the walls in the home of Suleiman Abu Mutlak, a former Palestinian security official, but caused no injuries. Abu Mutlak blamed Hamas for the blast, the first attack on a leading figure in the defeated Fatah Party since Hamas' victory. Hamas denied involvement.

The militant Islamic Jihad group and gunmen with ties to Fatah said they fired two missiles at an Israeli navy boat off Gaza. The army said that despite reports of explosions, the Israeli boat did not identify any missiles being launched at it, possibly because they missed their target.

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