Solana said if Hamas won, it would be "very difficult that help and the money that goes to ... the Palestinian Authority will continue to flow". (Reuters)

OCCUPIED JERUSALEM, December 18, 2005 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) – A few hours after a similar American move, the EU threatened Sunday, December 18, to punish the Palestinians financially if they elect Hamas candidates in the legislative polls, scheduled for January 25.

EU Foreign Policy Chief Javier Solana said if Hamas won, it would be "very difficult that help and the money that goes to ... the Palestinian Authority will continue to flow," reported Reuters.

The EU, the main donor to the Palestinian Authority, allocated more than 340 million dollars for the PA in 2005. It is also one of the four international sponsors of the roadmap peace plan which aims at the creation of an independent Palestinian state.

"It is very difficult that parties that do not condemn violence ... without changing those positions can be partners for the future," Solana told reporters in Tel Aviv.

In a resolution approved on Friday, December 16, by 397 to 17 votes with seven abstentions, the US House of Representatives threatened the PA that it risked losing US financial aid and other support if it allowed Hamas to contest the legislative polls.

The resolution warned the PA that all financial aid offered to the Palestinians would be withheld in case Hamas joined the government.

Hamas, which is putting up candidates for parliament for the first time, is expected to do well against President Mahmoud Abbas's fractured Fatah.

The resistance group has won in three out of four West Bank cities in last week's local ballot.

The results illustrated Hamas's grass-roots strength especially at a time when Fatah is in disarray after a group of popular leaders broke away to form their own faction for the January election.

"They are exploiting the Palestinian people's dire need for aid to influence their democratic choices," Khateib charged.

Palestinian officials immediately hit back, accusing the EU of meddling in their domestic affairs.

"This is an unacceptable intervention," Palestinian Economy Minister Ghassan El-Khateib told the Doha-based Al-Jazeera news channel.

"They are exploiting the Palestinian people's dire need for aid to influence their democratic choices," he charged.

With severe poverty in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, the PA cannot afford to lose international aid.

It faces a particular test following Israel's withdrawal from Gaza in September after 38 years of occupation.

PA chief negotiator Saeb Erekat echoed a similar position.

"This is a direct intervention in our internal affairs ... Mr Solana and others should respect the choice of the Palestinian people," he told Reuters.

Hamas, for its part, said Solana's comments reflected a "bias towards the Israeli occupation and a surrender to US pressures."

The issue of Hamas participation has underlined the dilemma facing Western countries that advocate free elections in the Middle East but also worry that victory will go to groups they brand as terrorists, according to Reuters.

Hamas has won growing support from Palestinians who see it as less tainted by corruption than Fatah and also benefit from its charity network.

Palestinian political analyst Ali Jarbawi said that the United States and EU stands would probably help Hamas.

"People look at the US position and immediately think the best position is the reverse," he said.

"You can't ask people to become democratic and force them to vote for someone and not someone else."