Israel Matzav

Powell calls on international community to negotiate with Hamas

Unfortunately, it's not just moonbat former US President Dhimmi Carter who thinks the world ought to deal with Hamas. (Yesterday, Dhimmi interposed himself as a negotiator between Hamas and Fatah).

Former US Secretary of State Colin Powell, who served in the first Bush administration, has now called on the 'international community' to negotiate with Hamas.

According to Israeli radio, he stated: "Hamas is controlling the situation in the Gaza Strip. There are no signs that the Hamas movement will vanish, and it's getting huge support from the Palestinian public."

Very little coming out of the US State Department and its alumni surprises me anymore. Will Condi be next? (Not that there's any real difference between Hamas and Fatah anyway...). Here's the relevant portion of the interview:

A couple of other topics. First in the Middle East peace process, would you talk to Hamas right now in Gaza?

I think you'd have to find some way to talk to Hamas. I don't want to insert myself into what Secretary [of State Condoleezza] Rice is doing or what the president is doing. But they are not going to go away. And we have to remember that they enjoy considerable support among the Palestinian people. They won an election that we insisted upon having. And so, as unpleasant a group as they may be, and as distasteful as I find some of their positions, I think that through the [Middle East Quartet, which consists of the United States, the European Union, Russia and the United Nations] or through some means, Hamas has to be engaged. I don't think you can just cast them into outer darkness and try to find a solution to the problems of the region without taking into account the standing that Hamas has in the Palestinian community.

Right.... How do you 'engage' a party that says that under no circumstances will it recognize the other side's 'right to exist'?

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 8:31 AM