Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni said on Monday that Israel would not hold peace talks with Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas because he allows Hamas to control his government. Israel’s tough position reflects a growing rift with the US. The United States and the European Union will continue working with Abbas when Hamas takes office. Israel does not want to be in a situation where it has to deal with Abbas, who is “more moderate, believes in two states ... but is powerless to deliver the goods or enforce it on the Palestinian Authority,” Livni said in a meeting with US envoy David Welch.