Former President Carter Urges America, Israel Not to Financially Punish Palestinians

ABC News
Carter Warns Against Palestinian Sanctions
Former President Carter Urges America, Israel Not to Financially Punish Palestinians
The Associated Press

WASHINGTON - Former President Jimmy Carter, in an opinion piece published Monday, urged the U.S. and Israeli governments to allow the Palestinians to form a government without financial interference, despite concerns about the militant Hamas group that won a majority of parliamentary seats.

Hamas on Monday began talks to form the Palestinians' first government led by Islamic militants.

"During this time of fluidity in the formation of the new government, it is important that Israel and the United States play positive roles," Carter wrote in a piece in Monday's edition of The Washington Post.

"Any tacit or formal collusion between the two powers to disrupt the process by punishing the Palestinian people could be counterproductive and have devastating consequences."

Israel has halted the transfer of hundreds of millions of dollars in tax money, branding the Palestinian government a "terrorist authority." U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice announced last week that no U.S. assistance will be provided to a Hamas-led Palestinian government.