The Bush administration has decided not to oppose the participation of the Islamic terrorist group in elections, as requested by Israel. US officials said Hamas is a terrorist organization, but the administration will not dictate to the Palestinians how to run parliamentary elections set for January. “We will not deal with a terrorist organization,” a senior US official was quoted as saying. “However, we believe that it's up to the Palestinians to determine who will participate in their election." The international community has responded cooly to Israeli appeals to prevent Hamas from participating, on grounds that it is a terrorist organization that seeks the destruction of Israel. Political sources in Jerusalem say there is now little Israel can do prevent Hamas from participating in the elections.