Hamas-run Gaza isolated physically, diplomatically

RAMALLAH,West Bank-Mahmoud Abbas got a major boost in his increasingly bellicose showdown with Hamas on Saturday, with a U.S. diplomat saying he expects a crippling embargo to be lifted once the Palestinian president appoints a government without the Islamic militants.But the money is unlikely to reach Gaza, now controlled by Hamas and cut off from the world.The new Cabinet is to be sworn in today in the West Bank, where Fatah forces stormed government offices on Saturday, just three days after Hamas seized control of Gaza and Abbas dismantled the Hamas-Fatah coalition government in response.Abbas issued a decree early today annulling a law requiring the new government to be approved by parliament, which is dominated by Hamas.Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri said the decree was illegal. "This escalates the crisis, and the president bears the responsibility for all the consequences of these developments," he warned.
In a further boost for Abbas, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said the new Palestinian government would create a "new opportunity" for peace moves. Olmert has long welcomed Abbas as a negotiating partner, but said Abbas' alliance with Hamas made peacemaking virtually impossible...
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As in the days of Noah...