U.S. starts plan to help Hamas opponents

In a response to Reuters U.S. Consul General Jacob Walles said "There is nothing new here." The documents seen by Reuters refer repeatedly to new programmes that began in recent weeks.

"We are not promoting any particular party. In fact, we will work with any party as long as it is not affiliated with a terrorist organisation."

There would be no direct funding of parties, he stressed.

HAMAS ACCUSATIONS

Some Hamas leaders have accused Abbas and Fatah of serving the interests of Israel's ally, the United States, which has led a Western aid embargo to force Hamas to recognise Israel, renounce violence and accept past accords with the Jewish state.

Washington is also helping Abbas expand his presidential guard as a possible counterweight to Hamas.

There was no immediate reaction from Hamas to the U.S. plan.

In U.S. budget terms, $42 million is a small amount.

But in the cash-strapped Gaza Strip and occupied West Bank, it could go a long way -- over three times the total spent by the main parties and candidates in the January election.

Ahead of that election, the United States tried to help the then Fatah-led Palestinian Authority, but critics said the push came too late to assist the long-dominant movement, which was handicapped by infighting and accusations of corruption.

The U.S.-based National Democratic Institute (NDI) said it recently began talks with the leaders of Fatah and other parties about how they could improve their performance in any election.

Michael Murphy, who runs NDI operations in the West Bank and Gaza, said the focus for now was on internal party reform, but that the programme, in close coordination with the State Department, would also look for ways to help Fatah and others get their message across to voters.

The International Republican Institute also recently received funds for a new programme to give training and strategic advice to several Palestinian independent parties, though it said politicians would not get direct financial help.

"We're hammering into them they need to start organising now," said Scott Mastic, deputy director of the Institute's Middle East and North Africa division.

"There could be another election. It should be an incentive to them to get moving and get their act together."

U.S. contractors and Palestinian political analysts say Fatah can learn from Hamas's electoral strategy by running fewer candidates per district and also by fielding women to campaign door-to-door, since they can enter more conservative households.

One group, the Arab Thought Forum, said it had been approached by Washington to help two months ago, but that it turned down funding for a programme that would have meant excluding Hamas politicians.

"We couldn't be in a position not to recognise a government elected by the people," said director general Abdel Rahman Abu Arafeh. "So we are not receiving any U.S. money."

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