It is the height of hypocrisy and double standards, for a country which claims to support democracy, to deny this recognition to the newly elected PA.

The pretext used, for this denial of recognition, is Hamas involvement in violence and terrorism.The Hamas violence is a direct result of the oppressive occupation. The state of Israel has been indulging in violence and state terrorism since its inception and has continued that during its illegal occupation of Palestinian territory over the last 38 years, with practices including extra-judicial assassination, killing thousands by bombing using F16's and Apaches, demolition of thousands of homes and other practices. These Practices have been condemned, as state terrorism, by all international human rights groups, including Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and Israeli human rights group, B'Tselem.