A Palestinian schoolgirl watches as a member of the Hamas security forces walks past outside the office of Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh in Gaza City March 19,2007.

哈瑪斯一名安全人員19日在巴勒斯坦自治政府總理哈尼耶辦公室外巡邏，一名女童站在一旁好奇張望。

Palestinians unveiled a new unity coalition, which unites the radical Islamist Hamas movement with President Mahmud Abbas's Fatah party March 15. Hamas was considered a terrorist group by Israel and the West. And since Hamas refused to meet three conditions--to recognize Israel, to renounce violence and to abide by past Palestinian-Israeli accords, Israel immediately said it would not deal with the new unity government. The United States, EU, UN and Russia--the so-called Quartet of Middle East peace mediators--have imposed diplomatic boycott on the Palestinian government since Hamas unexpectedly trounced the long-dominant Fatah in elections early last year. The aid freeze has wrecked havoc on the already staggering Palestinian economy. Simmering tensions between Fatah and Hamas often exploded into street violence that has killed scores of Palestinians.

巴勒斯坦激進的伊斯蘭教哈瑪斯運動和阿巴斯總統的法塔組織於3月15日組成新的聯合政府。以色列和西方認定哈瑪斯是恐怖組織。由於哈瑪斯拒絕承認以色列、拒絕揚棄暴力並遵守以巴和平協定，以色列立即表示，不和這個新政府打交道。美國、歐盟、聯合國和俄羅斯，所謂中東和平四方協調人，自從去年初選舉哈瑪斯意外擊潰長期執政的法塔後就進行外交杯葛。外援凍結使巴勒斯坦經濟雪上加霜，而法塔和哈瑪斯的緊張對峙也往往爆發街頭暴力，造成巴人喪生。圖／美聯社