Israeli moves amount to declaration of war - Hamas

gulftimes/reuters: Israel suspended formal security ties with the Palestinian government yesterday in what Hamas said amounted to "a declaration of war".

European Union foreign ministers added to US and Israeli pressure on the militant group by approving a temporary halt in direct EU aid to the new government.

Thousands of Palestinians poured onto the streets of Gaza, protesting Western aid cuts and a spike in Israeli military strikes since election victor Hamas took control of the Palestinian National Authority in late March.

In statements issued in quick succession yesterday, President Mahmoud Abbas and Hamas denounced Israel for branding the Palestinian National Authority a "hostile entity".

Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri said in a statement in Gaza that Israel's decision to sever contacts with the Palestinian National Authority constituted "a declaration of war and a failed attempt to cause internal divisions among Palestinians".

In Ramallah, Abbas said Israel's position "completely violates the agreements we have signed with them and violates international law". Link