The Palestinian Authority prime minister received his first Western
dignitary. Ismail Haniyeh of Hamas hosted Norwegian Deputy
Foreign Minister Raymond Johansen in Gaza City on Monday in what was widely
seen as the first sign that the international isolation of the Palestinian
Authority was ending.
“We hope that all the European countries, and even
other countries, will support this unity government,” Johansen said,
referring to the coalition Hamas formed with the more moderate Fatah
faction over the weekend. Russia and China had been the only
major powers to engage in diplomacy with Hamas officials.
