Hamas has demanded to be removed from the US list of suspected terror organisations as the Palestinian movement prepares to enter government for the first time.

Moussa Abu Marzouq, a member of Hamas's political bureau, said the inclusion of Hamas on the US list could not be justified, especially when the movement is "deeply rooted" in Palestinian society and "has won a clear majority in the legislative elections held on 25 January."

He said: "No state shouldering its responsibility in the region could keep Hamas on the list of terror organisations, because Hamas is a national liberation movement that confines its struggle to the occupied territories and had never targeted its weapons outside Palestine."
Hamas scored a convincing victory in Palestinian elections on 25 January and will dominate the new parliament after it is inaugurated on Saturday.

The group has named Mahmoud al-Zahar, from Gaza, as head of the Hamas  parliamentary party and Aziz Dweik, from the West Bank, as the parliament’s speaker.

Washington Wants Its Money Back

The United States has asked the Palestinian Authority to return 50 million in U.S. aid because Washington does not want a Hamas-led government to have the funds, the State Department said on Friday.

The money is being demanded as part of a review of all U.S. aid for the Palestinians which began soon after the militant group Hamas' surprise win in elections last month. The State Department expects to finish the review in the next few weeks.

State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said the caretaker government of President Mahmoud Abbas had agreed to return the 50 million US dollar, which was given to the Palestinian Authority last year for infrastructure projects after Israel's withdrawal from Gaza and parts of the West Bank.

Over the past decade, the United States has given about 1.5 billion US dollar in aid to the Palestinians. Most of that was channeled via nongovernmental organizations. According to some reports Israel receives from Washington yearly 10 billion dollars.

PHOTO CAPTION

Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal speaks during a news conference before his departure at Esenboga Airport in Ankara February 17, 2006. (REUTERS)

Reuters, Al-Jazeera & AmericanFreePress