By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
Acting Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni said Sunday that Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas is "not relevant" because of the victory of Hamas in last month's elections and its takeover of the Palestinian parliament and Cabinet.
Livni spoke after meeting US envoy David Welch, where they discussed how to relate to Abbas, the Fatah leader elected president of the Palestinian Authority, in light of the Hamas victory.
She told Israel Radio that Abbas "can't be a fig leaf for a terrorist authority. Abu Mazen can't be a pretty face for ugly terror that hides behind it." She said the Hamas government must decide about Israel's demands for recognition and renunciation of terror, and Abbas "in this regard is not relevant."