WASHINGTON, May 18: US-led efforts to isolate the Hamas-led Palestinian government could radicalise the Arab world’s most educated population and increased contact could foster peace with Israel, Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister said on Wednesday.

Prince Saud Al-Faisal said refusing to deal with Hamas and blocking pay for Palestinian doctors, teachers and engineers reflected a ‘twisted logic’ that could alienate ‘the real supporters of the (Palestinian) peace movement’.

Saud told a small group of reporters invited to the Saudi Embassy in Washington he has argued strenuously about the policy with the administration.

“If you use inclusion rather than exclusion, if you talk to them, they can be convinced of the advisability of pursuing a peace process, if they are assured of equal treatment that any conditions put on one side are not excluded from being applied to the other side,” he said.

By denying pay for Palestinian professionals, “you’re adding radicalism to the rank and file of these people and you are not harming the government”, he said.

The Quartet of Middle East mediators — the United States, European Union, Russia and the United Nations — met last week to consider ways to alleviate pressure on the Palestinians.

The EU has suggested a new mechanism to funnel money to the Palestinian people but bypass Hamas.

Saud said he hoped the mechanism would be efficient and allow for the ‘free flow of money to where it’s needed in the Palestinian areas’.

Nevertheless, Saud said, “I think we have a possibility of a fresh start” with the new Hamas government and Ehud Olmert as Israel’s new prime minister.

The two new governments are “not tied to their fixed positions in the past and we hope that the start of (Israel-Palestinian) negotiations happens before they fix positions”, he said.

Saud criticised those who reject the Hamas government because they do not like the election result.

“We always warned against elections, that they sometimes bring results that you don’t want, and that’s why we haven’t applied this system yet in Saudi Arabia,” he said.

He rejected claims there should never be negotiations with groups deemed terrorist, noting British and US talks with the Irish Republican Army when the group was still bearing arms.

“So the principle is not always followed,” he said.

Saud faulted Israel for demanding “complete security before it starts negotiating a peace process. It is exactly the reverse — you achieve peace and then you have security”.

Saudi Arabia will recognise Israel ‘when there is peace’, he added.—Reuters