EU/Palestinian government

    European Union aid will bypass the Hamas-led Palestinian government until it recognizes Israel, renounces violence and abides by interim peace deals, the EU's aid commissioner said on Thursday. "As long as these criteria are not fulfilled, there will not be a change in the system, the manner, the process of aid support from the European Union," commissioner Louis Michel told reporters in Tel Aviv. Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni said that:"The Palestinians are using the security fence as an excuse to continue their violent attacks, but from Israel's point of view, the fence saves lives and does not diminish the possibility of creating a Palestinian state, quite the opposite." The foreign minister went on to say that any portrayal of terrorists as freedom fighters must be avoided. "Israel shares European values and expects Europe to fairly judge others according to the attributes prevalent there," she said, adding that the Gaza Strip could have flourished following the disengagement but instead it was turned into a "nest of terror" by Palestinians. "There is no excuse for what is happening is Gaza or for the Kassam fire," Livni said. Earlier Thursday, a top UN refugee official urged theEuropean Union to do more to alleviate the crisis in the Palestinian territories caused by international sanctions and a collapsing economy,also media reported.(00,58)