Jordan abruptly canceled a planned fund-raising visit by Hamas Authority foreign minister Mahmoud A-Zahar "until further notice." It made the decision after finding rocket launchers, explosives and automatic weapons in a Hamas arms cache in Jordanian territory.
Jordanian government spokesman Nasser Joudeh said the discovery of the arms was a serious breach of Hamas pledges not to harm Jordanian security or meddle in its internal affairs. Hamas denied the accusations and called them "provocative." Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zahuri said, "Everyone knows that our struggle has always only been against the conquest of our land."
A-Zahar was scheduled to visit Jordan as part of his fund-raising trip to Arab countries for the Hamas Authority. Syria, Kuwait and Bahrain are the other stops in his itinerary.
With unpaid monthly salaries totaling $150 million, the Palestinian Authority, led by Hamas, is very much in the red. Qatar has promised $50 million, the Arab League $55 million, and Saudi Arabia has pledged "large" sums. $100 million from Iran is also said to be on the way. In addition to its salary debts, however, the PA owes some $1.3 billion to banks, suppliers and other sources.
A bright spot for Hamas, however, is a recent statement by Britain's Foreign Secretary Jack Straw. He said today that his country is interested in maintaining "normal relations'" with Hamas, and that it is even seeking ways to renew its financial aid to the Palestinian Authority. Though British officials later said that Straw's remarks had been taken out of context and that there was no change in the Kingdom's policy towards Hamas, the damage appears to have been done.
Israeli officials rushed to control some of the damage, saying that the international front against Hamas has not been breached. But it appeared to be a case of whistling in the dark, with Straw saying that he would not even require Hamas to formally declare its recognition of Israel or change its charter accordingly. He said that on-the-ground cooperation by Hamas with Israel alone would be sufficient.
Jordanian government spokesman Nasser Joudeh said the discovery of the arms was a serious breach of Hamas pledges not to harm Jordanian security or meddle in its internal affairs. Hamas denied the accusations and called them "provocative." Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zahuri said, "Everyone knows that our struggle has always only been against the conquest of our land."
A-Zahar was scheduled to visit Jordan as part of his fund-raising trip to Arab countries for the Hamas Authority. Syria, Kuwait and Bahrain are the other stops in his itinerary.
With unpaid monthly salaries totaling $150 million, the Palestinian Authority, led by Hamas, is very much in the red. Qatar has promised $50 million, the Arab League $55 million, and Saudi Arabia has pledged "large" sums. $100 million from Iran is also said to be on the way. In addition to its salary debts, however, the PA owes some $1.3 billion to banks, suppliers and other sources.
A bright spot for Hamas, however, is a recent statement by Britain's Foreign Secretary Jack Straw. He said today that his country is interested in maintaining "normal relations'" with Hamas, and that it is even seeking ways to renew its financial aid to the Palestinian Authority. Though British officials later said that Straw's remarks had been taken out of context and that there was no change in the Kingdom's policy towards Hamas, the damage appears to have been done.
Israeli officials rushed to control some of the damage, saying that the international front against Hamas has not been breached. But it appeared to be a case of whistling in the dark, with Straw saying that he would not even require Hamas to formally declare its recognition of Israel or change its charter accordingly. He said that on-the-ground cooperation by Hamas with Israel alone would be sufficient.