Bombing won't halt aid to Palestinians

New Zealand will continue to give $500,000 in humanitarian aid to the Hamas-governed Palestinian territories despite a suicide bomb attack against Israel the Palestinian Authority described as "self-defence".

Prime Minister Helen Clark said yesterday that New Zealand would be guided by the attitude of such bodies as Unicef and the UN Relief and Work Agency and New Zealand's friends in them.

She was questioned about it in light of the bombings by Islamic Jihad in Tel Aviv at the weekend that killed nine people. Hamas has largely stuck to a year-long ceasefire but spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri described the bombing as "a natural result of the continued Israeli crimes against our people".

"Our people are in a state of self-defence and they have every right to use all means to defend themselves," he was reported as saying.

The moderate Palestinian President, Mahmoud Abbas, condemned the bombings.

Hamas swept to power in January but has disregarded international calls, including from this country, to renounce violence and recognise Israel's right to exist.

The European Union and the United States have cut direct bilateral aid totalling more than $1.6 billion to the Palestinian Authority.

New Zealand does not give aid directly to the territories. But soon after Hamas was elected to power, Foreign Minister Winston Peters said New Zealand aid - most recently through a World Bank-managed fund - would continue and that the Hamas-led Government should be judged on its actions.

Helen Clark said yesterday: "There will be a dialogue that's going on but I am not aware of any large-scale withdrawal of support for basic relief-type work.

"And it has to be remembered that even with a regime as repugnant to us as the one in North Korea we have continued to put in relief aid through international agencies so as not to see families literally starve."

She condemned the suicide bombings saying "You cannot justify suicide bombings at all in any way."