U.S. Wary of New Palestinian Accord

The deal to create a Palestinian national unity government, announced Thursday in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, threatens to expose divisions between the United States and its European allies while complicating Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice's peace mission later this month, diplomats and analysts said yesterday.

The Bush administration reacted cautiously to the announcement that, after a year of deadly feuding, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and his Fatah party had agreed to join a government led by the militant group Hamas. The deal was brokered by Saudi Arabia, which is said to have pledged $1 billion to the Palestinians.

"We can't offer a reaction beyond the fact that we remain committed to a two-state solution and the Palestinian people deserve a government that is committed to that goal," State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said.

Few details of the agreement have been released, except a vague statement in which Abbas called upon Hamas to "respect international resolutions," which appeared to fall far short of international demands that the new government commit to recognizing Israel. Indeed, Hamas officials later told reporters that the movement has no intention of doing so.

Under the deal, Ismail Haniyeh of Hamas would remain prime minister and Hamas would retain the largest number of ministries, although some key ministries would go to independents.

The announcement comes as Rice is preparing for a major plunge in Middle East peacemaking, meeting with Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert on Feb. 19 to begin sketching the contours of a Palestinian state. This week, Rice met with Israeli, Egyptian and Palestinian envoys in preparation for the summit, and U.S. officials said yesterday that she remains committed to her plans.

Dennis Ross, who was a Middle East envoy for two presidents, said the announcement is a blow to Rice's efforts both on the Palestinian front and in the broader region.

Rice in recent months has tended to divide the region between "mainstream" and "extremist" actors. That has included bolstering security forces loyal to Abbas as he confronts Hamas, which she has labeled an extremist group.

But now, Ross said, Saudi Arabia has demonstrated its interest in maintaining the divide between Sunni and Shiite Muslim regions. Hamas is largely Sunni but had come under the sway of Shiite Iran and Syria. The deal -- and the offer of money -- brings Hamas back into the Sunni camp, Ross said, calling it a "triumph for Saudi diplomacy."

U.S. officials have worked on the assumption that an Abbas-negotiated peace outline with Israel -- what Rice calls a "political horizon" -- would bolster his standing among Palestinians and, if Hamas rejects the agreement, would allow him to put the matter to a vote.

Ross said that, under a national unity government, Hamas will be able finally to pay salaries and run ministries, helping the day-to-day lives of Palestinians, while Abbas will be forced to embrace unpleasant compromises in negotiations, actually weakening his position.

The agreement "is a trap for her," Ross said, referring to Rice. "It is hard to see how this is good for producing a political horizon."

A Palestinian adviser to Abbas who spoke on the condition of anonymity said the deal is not intended to resolve the power struggle. "This is to buy us time and buy us some stability," the adviser said.

Israeli officials, who have long viewed such a government as a dangerous possibility, said a formal response will come after the country's cabinet meets tomorrow. But Israeli officials privately said the agreement is not acceptable.

In an interview with The Washington Post in September, Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni said a national unity government that does not explicitly recognize Israel would lull the world into complacency.

"It is easy for us to see something black, Hamas, and white, Abu Mazen [Abbas's nickname], but sometimes the in-between, the gray, is sometimes the most dangerous," because it will appear legitimate through the presence of Abbas while Hamas continues to be an anti-Israel militia movement, she said. "They can get legitimacy and get the checks, but we cannot end the conflict."

Washington's wary attitude, citing a need to see more details, was echoed by Germany, which currently holds the rotating presidency of the European Union. The "Quartet" -- the diplomatic group that monitors Middle East peace and is made up of the United States, Russia, the European Union and the United Nations -- reiterated that any new Palestinian government must renounce violence, recognize Israel and respect peace deals for aid to resume.

But France and Russia immediately welcomed the statement, with Russia calling for an end to the freeze on direct aid to the Palestinians. French Foreign Minister Philippe Douste-Blazay said that the agreement is "a step in the right direction" toward eventual recognition of Israel and that "the international community must encourage and support the formation of the new government."