国际英语新闻：Hamas urges Washington not to intervene in Palestinian affairs

GAZA, Oct. 14 (Xinhua) -- Islamic Hamas movement on Wednesday accused the U.S. administration of blocking the Palestinian unity process and urged Washington not to intervene in the Palestinian domestic affairs.

    The Obama administration "must not interfere in the Palestinian reconciliation because it is an internal affair," said Salah al-Bardaweel.

    "The Palestinians determine their process and it is unacceptable to put obstacles on the way of the Palestinian unity," he told Xinhua.

    On Tuesday, the U.S. State Department said that Washington supports the Egyptian efforts to reconcile Hamas and Fatah party with the condition that any upcoming Palestinian government commits itself to international standards.

    The Middle East Quartet, which includes the United States, Russia, the European Union and the United Nations, stresses that the Palestinian government must recognize Israel, renounce violence and accept peace deals.

    "This is another attempt to drag Hamas to the Quartet's unjust conditions and this is the same position of the previous U.S. administration," al-Bardaweel added.

    Those conditions were outlined when Hamas won the parliamentary elections in 2006, which led to an international isolation on the Hamas-led government.

    In June 2007, Hamas routed pro-Abbas forces and seized control of Gaza, pushing Abbas to set up a Western-backed government based in the West Bank.

    Egypt has been trying to restore political unity to the two Palestinian territories by forming a unity government.

    Hamas "will not recognize Israel," said al-Bardaweel.