The United States on Friday ordered its representatives in Israel and throughout the world to cut off all contact with any members of the Palestinian Authority government who belong to Hamas. The order applies to all Hamas ministers and their subordinates, even those who are not themselves Hamas members. However, the US will maintain ties with PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas and all agencies under Abbas’s auspices. The State Department has decided to consider Afif Safiah, the Palestinian attach in Washington, a representative of the PLO and not the PA. The American decision follows President George W. Bush’s declaration Wednesday that he would not agree to aid a Hamas-led PA. ‘I weep for the Palestinians’ suffering,’ Bush said in a speech. ‘They’ve been ruled for years by a disappointing government, but we can’t fund a nation that seeks to destroy its neighbor.’ Earlier Wednesday, Soon after Hamas formally took power, Canada announced it was suspending aid to the Palestinian Authority. Foreign Affairs Minister Peter MacKay said in a statement that Canada had no choice but to suspend assistance to the PA and decline contact with the new Hamas cabinet. With Hamas at the helm, the […]