US Senator John Kerry (D-Mass.) said he would not support funding for a Palestinian Authority if it included Hamas, unless the terrorist group denounced violence and recognized Israel's right to exist. “If you are going to be part of a government you can't blow up buses in Tel Aviv,” said the former presidential candidate who is also a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. "If you decide to participate in democracy then buy in fully to what goes with it, and that means recognizing Israel's right to exist and giving up violence." Kerry met with Acting Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and PA negotiator Saeb Erekat during his 12-day tour of the Middle East. His statement lines up with recent warnings that the American government will cut funding to the PA if Hamas wins in next week’s elections and does not stop terrorism. The US House of Representatives passed a similar resolution.