White House mum on Gaza allegation

WASHINGTON, June 19 (UPI) -- The White House Tuesday would neither confirm nor deny a suggestion that Iran encouraged Hamas to take control of the Gaza Strip through violence.

Spokesman Tony Snow, asked in a briefing about a suggestion made earlier by Yasser Abed Rabbo, a senior official and aide to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, refused to discuss what he called intelligence matters.

"As I said before, it is pretty clear there are players in the region who are certainly doing -- not being helpful when it comes to democracy," he added.

"We have seen that with Iran and Syria when it comes to Hezbollah in Lebanon, and again this is a pattern the president (George W. Bush) has pointed to a number of times. ... Those who are hostile to democracy have a tendency to rise up and commit acts of violence and to engage in activities designed to derail democratic movements."

Rabbo on Monday said Iran had encouraged Hamas to take over the Gaza Strip from forces of the Palestinian president by force. "Iran supports non-democratic groups in Palestine, Lebanon and Iraq and we hold Iran responsible for encouraging Hamas to carry out its coup in Gaza," he said.

Hamas, an Islamist organization, won control of the Palestinian Legislature in elections last month. Its refusal to disavow the aim of destroying Israel and waging jihad resulted in the United States, the European Union and others cutting financial aid to the Palestinian Authority, except for humanitarian aid.

Last week Hamas gunmen drove out of Gaza the security forces of Abbas and his secular Fatah organization. Abbas and his emergency government now control only the West Bank, but he has called for a restart to peace negotiations with Israel.

The situation was the main subject at the White House Tuesday when President Bush met Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert.