The U.S. State Department has refused to directly comment on a Yemeni effort to negotiate a political truce between Hamas and Fatah factions. Asked by a reporter about the mediation, American State Department spokesman Tom Casey said, "We would certainly hope that any solution that would be reached would be one that would be in accordance with the views that [Palestinian Authority (PA) Chairman Mahmoud] Abbas has spoken about and represent, we believe, the vast majority of Palestinian people's desire for a peaceful settlement of the situation with Israel."
Pressed about the possibility of Hamas and Fatah agreeing to new elections and the American position that PA Arabs have to choose between terrorism and peace, Casey responded, "As a matter of general policy, we've made it quite clear that, you know, we are supporting the legitimate government of the Palestinian Authority... Our concerns about Hamas while in government were quite clear, and I don't think that there is any value at this point in trying to somehow undo what's already gone on."