Palestine To Lose EU Backing

Hamas faces European aid threat

On the heels of Bush's pronouncement that Palestine would lose U.S. foreign aid if Hamas doesn't disarm, Germany's chancellor is saying that the EU will follow suit if Hamas doesn't renounce violence.

The full text of the statement isn't available, but there's a difference between "renouncing violence" and disarming. If all the EU requires is a pro forma statement that it renounces violence then it gives Hamas and the rest of the Palestinians license to continue the Arafat doublespeak of saying they want peace while turning a blind eye to their own people committing suicide bombings.

Nothing short of requiring full disarmament is going to have any impact on the situation, and I'm still not sure that the EU has the backbone to take it to the limit by demanding it.