British Prime Minister Tony Blair and German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Friday underlined demands that Hamas must recognize Israel and renounce violence if the Palestinians want aid from the European Union, dpa reported. Speaking at joint news conference, both leaders said Hamas - which won recent Palestinian parliamentary elections - had to address three key points set out by EU member states: 1) Recognize Israel's right to exist 2) Renounce the use of violence 3) Accept all agreements made previously under the Israeli-Palestinian roadmap for peace. Blair underlined that any peace deal had to be based on a two state solution. "If the Palestinian side is saying you have to get rid of Israel how can you have a two-state solution. It's illogical," said Blair. Merkel added: "We agree these are the conditions that Hamas must meet." Blair said the international community would aid the Palestinian authority if Hamas accepted these EU demands.
