Peres confident on European stance

Shimon Peres voiced confidence that the European Union would not yield on its demand that Hamas embrace peacemaking with Israel. The Israeli vice premier on Tuesday played down indications that some European nations wanted to break with the United States by fully engaging the terrrorist group after it formed a coalition government with the more moderate Fatah movement. Hamas refuses to recognize Israel or renounce terrorism. “Entre nous, are the Europeans capable of funding terror? Could the Europeans tell the Palestinians don’t recognize Israel, it’s no big deal? Could they tell the Palestinians don’t honor agreements? The Europeans can’t be against themselves,” Peres told Army Radio. Peres credited European pressure with getting the Palestine Liberation Organization to moderate its diplomatic views, something that brought about the 1993 Oslo peace accords — though some right-wingers contend that the agreements essentially were diplomatic fraud and that the PLO never seriously intended to reconcile with Israel.