Obama camp 'prepared to talk to Hamas'

[StudsT]

guardian.co.uk, Thursday 8 January 2009 19.39 GMT

Incoming administration will abandon Bush's isolation of Islamist group to initiate low-level diplomacy, say transition sources


The incoming Obama administration is prepared to abandon President Bush's doctrine of isolating Hamas by establishing a channel to the Islamist organisation, sources close to the transition team say.

The move to open contacts with Hamas - which could be initiated through the US intelligence services - would represent a definitive break with the Bush presidency's ostracising of the group.

The Guardian has spoken to three people with knowledge of the discussions in the Obama camp.

There is no talk of Obama approving direct diplomatic negotiations with Hamas early on in his administration, but he is being urged by advisers to initiate low-level or clandestine approaches, and there is growing recognition in Washington that the policy of ostracising Hamas is counter-productive.

A tested course would be to start contacts through Hamas and the US intelligence services - similar to the secret process through which the US engaged with the PLO in the 1970s. Israel did not become aware of the contacts until much later.

more...
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/jan/08/barack-obama-gaza-hamas

now THAT is what i'm talk'n bout, the ADULTS are back in charge!

way to go O :toast:

StudsT

[Name removed]

1. Deleted message

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[StudsT]

3. well, they have already disobeyed that order (don't talk to hamas)

so i think they are off to a good start... much better than what we have been hearing up to this point.

:hi:

StudsT

[cali]

4. wow. and you know this how?

I'm so bored with the little minds that think Israel controls... everything.

[Name removed]

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[bstender]

7. maybe he'll be right?

I'm so bored with the little minds that think Israel controls... everything.

a bit of a leap to accuse him of that. Israel doesnt control everything, but that doesnt change the fact of life that US govt. policy favors Israel without debate in defiance of world opinion and intl. law.

And, he will probably be right, talk is cheap. Seeing some real policy change is rather hard to imagine.

[Name removed]

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[marimour]

2. sounds better than what we have now.

Something about this has to change, or we're going to see Israel fighting some new Palestinian group 20 years from now.

[polichick]

5. That's a start - glad to hear it!

[Recursion]

8. It's a start

This is good news.

[EraOfResponsibility]

9. Sounds good! n/t

[azurnoir]

10. Good news also

explains why the Senate was in such a hurry to get the we support Israel resolution passed they could lose out on alot otherwise

[Scurrilous]

12. Kick

:thumbsup:

[bdamomma]

13. Talking instead of killing/bombing people what a concept.