Israeli Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz said that his country will severe all relations with Palestinian territories if they elect a Hamas leader to be their Prime Minister of Speaker. The Hamas is under enormous international pressure to abandon their path of violence and accept Israel's right to exist. Western nations have suspended aid and the PT, which depends on aid to survive, is nearly bankrupt. A recalcitrant Hamas has so far refused to yield to this pressure. Israel has been assiduously working for the isolation of Hamas and the Western nations seem to be rallying behind it. However, the Russian invitation to the Hamas for parleys has won support from some of the Western nations, including the United States. Israel will be going to the polls next month and the results will greatly influence the outcome of the West Asian peace process. The comatose former Israeli Prime Minster Ariel Sharon's new centrist Kadima party is expected to win.

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