JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel's prime minister said Tuesday he is "deeply troubled" by the United States' decision to maintain relations with the new Palestinian unity government, urging Washington to tell the Palestinian president that his alliance with the Hamas militant group is unacceptable.

The blunt language used by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reflected his dismay over the international community's embrace of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' new unity government, and marked the latest in a string of disagreements between Netanyahu and the White House.

Netanyahu has urged the world to shun the government because it is backed by Hamas, an Islamic group that has killed hundreds of Israelis in attacks over the past two decades. But late Monday, both the U.S. and European Union said they would give Abbas a chance.

"I'm deeply troubled by the announcement that the United States will work with the Palestinian government backed by Hamas," Netanyahu told The Associated Press, saying the group has murdered "countless innocent civilians."

"All those who genuinely seek peace must reject President Abbas' embrace of Hamas, and most especially, I think the United States must make it absolutely clear to the Palestinian president that his pact with Hamas, a terrorist organization that seeks Israel's liquidation, is simply unacceptable," he said.

Asked whether Israel is lobbying its allies to change their position toward the unity government, an Israeli official said the government is "definitely in a conversation with the U.S. and other world powers, sharing our views on how to deal with the Palestinian government." He spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the diplomatic effort with the media.

Israel and the West have branded Hamas, which is sworn to Israel's destruction, a terrorist group. But Israel's allies in Washington and Europe have said they will maintain ties to the new government — and continue sending hundreds of millions of dollars in aid — as long as it renounces violence and recognizes Israel's right to exist.

Abbas says the new Cabinet is committed to these principles. It is made up of apolitical technocrats who have no ties to Hamas, which has agreed to support the government from the outside.

Abbas' Fatah movement and Hamas formed the new government Monday in a major step toward ending a seven-year rift that left the Palestinians divided between two governments.

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Palestinian Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah, right, puts his hand on the Quran in front of Palestinian …

Hamas seized the Gaza Strip from Abbas' forces in June 2007, leaving him in control only of autonomous areas of the West Bank. The Palestinians claim the two areas, along with Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem, for an independent state. Israel captured the territories in 1967.

The Palestinian rift is considered a major obstacle to statehood. Many in Israel itself have long used it to argue that a deal with Abbas is not credible because he doesn't govern all the Palestinians.

As U.S.-backed peace talks collapsed in late April, Abbas decided to focus on getting internal Palestinian affairs in order and reached the reconciliation deal with Hamas.

The world community's reaction suggests a general sense that the reconciliation might constitute an elegant solution to a conundrum: While few countries back Hamas, the group seems here to stay. And since Hamas will probably not formally accept the existence of Israel anytime soon, its backing of a government that Abbas says does might be seen as a step forward.

Israel is instead accusing Abbas of abandoning hopes for peace.

Israeli Cabinet Minister Naftali Bennett said officials were blindsided by Washington's decision, likening it to Israel deciding to begin talking to al-Qaida. He said the U.S. is still Israel's best friend, but called the move a "profound disappointment."

"We think to some extent it sends a message that being a terrorist pays," Bennett told the AP. "There's a clear moral line that you don't cross. And unfortunately America in this latest decision crossed this line."

The Israeli reactions were the latest salvo in a battle with Palestinians for world opinion following the collapse of Mideast peace talks in late April. Each side has been eager to portray the other as intransigent.

Abbas' prime minister, Rami Hamdallah, told reporters Tuesday that the government is committed to all agreements previously reached with Israel and would continue the president's "programs of peace," aimed at establishing an independent Palestinian state alongside Israel.

"We call on the international community to immediately recognize the government and continue to support the Palestinian political leadership's efforts to enable the government to face all political challenges, especially the Israeli policies that hinder the political and economic stability in the region," Hamdallah said.

The formation of the unity government does not resolve the Palestinian rift altogether. It remains unclear whether the sides will hold elections early next year, as they have agreed. Hamas also maintains a large, heavily armed fighting force in Gaza and is reluctant to cede control to Abbas. There are also questions about how to merge tens of thousands of dual civil services into one.

Salah Bardawil, a Hamas official in Gaza, said the sides would form committees to "sort out" remaining issues.

In the coming weeks, Netanyahu will be sure to point out Hamas' continued control of Gaza as he seeks to discredit the new government. He has also warned that he will hold Abbas responsible for any rocket fire that comes out of Gaza. Hamas, which possesses tens of thousands of rockets, has largely honored a truce with Israel in recent years, but various other militant groups in Gaza often fire rockets into Israel and could be eager to embarrass the new government.

Yoaz Hendel, a former Netanyahu spokesman, said the Israeli prime minister does not fear being isolated internationally.

"He sees himself as the leader of the Jewish state, the Jewish people, against the world," Hendel said. "If you check Jewish history, it's part of our narrative, to be on the outside."

___

Associated Press correspondents Alon Bernstein in Jerusalem, Ibrahim Barzak in Gaza City, Gaza Strip and Mohammed Daraghmeh in Ramallah, West Bank, contributed to this report.

Washington's intent to maintain a relationship with the Palestinian unity government is a sore spot.
'Simply unacceptable'

Globo/screenshot

On Tuesday, news site The Register published a story containing explosive "above top secret" information about Britain's surveillance programs, including details of a "clandestine British base tapping undersea cables in the Middle East." Reporter Duncan Campbell, who wrote the story, said it was based on documents "leaked by fugitive NSA sysadmin Edward Snowden" that other news outlets had declined to publish.

However, it's not necessarily clear how Campbell got his hands on Snowden's document stash.

Glenn Greenwald, who published the first stories based on Snowden's documents in The Guardian, told Business Insider on Tuesday that Snowden has "no source relationship" with Campbell.

"Snowden has no source relationship with Duncan (who is a great journalist), and never provided documents to him directly or indirectly, as Snowden has made clear," Greenwald said in an email. "I can engage in informed speculation about how Duncan got this document — it's certainly a document that several people in the Guardian UK possessed — but how he got it is something only he can answer."

For his part, Campbell is not interested in discussing how he got the documents used for his story.

"Journalists in the UK — just as in the US — do not reveal their sources, or respond to questions as to confidential sources. We protect them. That is our obligation and our duty," Campbell wrote in an email to Business Insider.

This isn't the first story Campbell has published allegedly based on Snowden documents. Last August, Campbell wrote a piece for The Independent about the secret British surveillance base. In that article, Campbell suggested The Guardian "agreed to the Government’s request not to publish any material contained in the Snowden documents that could damage national security," including the existence of the surveillance base.

Greenwald responded with a column that included a statement from Snowden saying he had not worked with Campbell and speculating the documents were actually by the British government as part of an attempt to make the case his leaks were "harmful."

In addition to Snowden's theory that Campbell may have obtained documents from a government source, it also seems possible he was leaked information by a Guardian staffer with access to the documents. Business Insider asked Guardian editor Alan Rusbridger about this possibility on Tuesday and received a response from a representative for the paper who said they have no idea how Campbell obtained any of Snowden's documents.

"We don't know who Mr Campbell's source is. We have always been open and transparent about all of our reporting partners," the representative said.

So it seems someone out there is in possession of Snowden documents other newspapers have declined to publish and is eager to release them. In other words, the Snowden leaks have leaked.

Wochit

Nigeria Bans 'Bring Back Our Girls' Protests

KADUNA, Nigeria (AP) — Ten generals and five other senior military officers have been found guilty in courts-martial of providing arms and information to Boko Haram extremists, several Nigerian newspapers said Tuesday, though the military insisted there was no truth in the reports.

They follow months of allegations from politicians and soldiers who told The Associated Press that some senior officers were helping the Islamic extremists and that some rank-and-file soldiers even fight alongside the insurgents and then return to army camps. They have said that information provided by army officers has helped insurgents in ambushing military convoys and in attacks on army barracks and outposts in their northeastern stronghold.

Leadership newspaper quoted one officer saying that four other officers, in addition to the 15, were found guilty of "being disloyal and for working for the members of the sect."

Defense Ministry spokesman Maj. Gen. Chris Olukolade, who last week denied reports saying senior officers were being investigated, reiterated in a statement on Tuesday that defense headquarters "wishes to state once again categorically that there is no truth whatsoever in the report."

He called it a "falsehood" concocted by those who "appear hell-bent on misleading Nigerians and the international community to give credence to the negative impression they are so keen to propagate about the Nigerian military."

Nigeria's military often denies substantiated reports, such as on extrajudicial killings of civilians and detainees. It is accused of such gross human rights violations that the U.S. efforts to help in the rescue of nearly 300 abducted schoolgirls have been limited by U.S. law restricting sharing of some types of information and technology with abusive security forces.

Nigerian Police Ban Protests About Kidnapped GirlsPlay Video

The alleged sabotage by senior officers could explain the military's failure to curb a 5-year-old Islamic uprising by Boko Haram that has killed thousands despite a year-long state of emergency in the northeast.

Boko Haram has attracted international condemnation and U.N. sanctions since its April 15 abduction of more than 300 schoolgirls, of whom 272 remain captive.

Nigerian activists pressing the government to rescue the schoolgirls filed a complaint Tuesday against a police ban on protests.

"We filed a complaint that the police don't have any right to stop people from expressing themselves," said community leader Pogu Bitrus of Chibok, the town from which the girls were abducted.

The protests have "degenerated" and are "now posing a serious security threat," Abuja police commissioner Joseph Mbu said in a statement Monday banning all protests in the capital related to the topic.

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Nigerian teenager Deborah Peters, the sole survivor of a Boko Haram attack on her family in 2011, ho …

The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project, SERAP, said such a ban violates basic rights under the Nigerian constitution.

However, Nigerian police on Tuesday said they had not ordered a ban on peaceful assemblies or protests in Nigeria.

"The Police only issued advisory notice, enjoining citizens to apply caution in the said rallies," the statement said. "Citizens are strongly advised to reconsider their positions on the issues of rallies and protests" given the current threats by militants.

The kidnapping crisis has highlighted Nigeria's failure to curb Boko Haram's uprising.

Leadership newspaper on Tuesday quoted military officers saying the 15 allegedly found guilty of providing arms to Boko Haram are among many more being tried at divisional level. The verdicts are being referred to defense headquarters in Abuja, the capital, where the fate of the officers will be decided, the newspaper said. The officers it quoted spoke on condition of anonymity because they are not allowed to give information to reporters.

President Goodluck Jonathan said last year that he believed that some members of the military and even of his own government, including some Cabinet ministers, sympathized with Boko Haram or belonged to the group. Jonathan in January fired his entire military command and weeks later replaced the defense minister.

His government and military have been harshly criticized for lack of action that has led to the schoolgirls' prolonged captivity. Defense chief Air Marshal Alex Badeh said last week the military knows where they are being held but fears to use force as it could get the girls killed. Jonathan is under increasing pressure to make a deal with the insurgents, who are demanding he free detained fighters in return for the girls.

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Associated Press reporter Maram Mazen in Lagos, Nigeria contributed to this report.

Ten of Nigeria's generals and five other senior officers have reportedly been found guilty.
Provided arms, info

A stream of charged particles and hot plasma as wide as five Earths shot out of the sun at 1.5 million mph.
Watch footage

A San Francisco social media maven is charged as officials reveal what was found in his apartment.
'Dangerous and desperate'