Israel Matzav

Obama throwing the 'Palestinian Authority' under the bus?

In a sign that President Obama may be about to throw Fatah and the 'Palestinian Authority' under the bus, the Wall Street Journal is reporting that 'ex-officials' of the United States who are close with the Obama administration are meeting with Hamas with Obama's approval. The Journal goes on to name names:

In a meeting last summer in Zurich, Thomas Pickering, a former undersecretary of state and U.S. ambassador to Israel and Jordan, and Rob Malley, a top Mideast adviser to President Bill Clinton, met with Hamas's foreign minister, Mahmud Zahar, and Mr. Hamdan, the movement's top official in Lebanon. Recently retired European officials also were present. The meeting, detailed in minutes reviewed by The Wall Street Journal, was confirmed by Messrs. Pickering and Malley.

The meeting focused largely on practical issues, such as scenarios for how Hamas could meet the three Quartet conditions, according to the minutes—which participants said accurately reflected the meeting. Participants also focused on how to establish a mechanism to ease the Israeli siege of the Gaza Strip, an Obama priority.

"It was an effort to clarify what Washington's policy is and understand what Hamas's views are," Mr. Malley said.

Mr. Malley is currently director of the Mideast and North Africa program at the International Crisis Group, a Brussels-based think tank. Mr. Pickering is co-chairman of the group's board, a post previously held by George Mitchell, the Obama administration's envoy to the Mideast peace talks.

...

In a separate move that raised eyebrows in the region, U.S. diplomat Rachel Schneller met Hamas's Mr. Hamdan in Doha last month for a debate sponsored by the Doha-based al Jazeera television channel. Ms. Schneller is on sabbatical from the State Department at the Council on Foreign Relations, a New York-based think tank.

Ms. Schneller said she alerted the State Department to the invitation, and Washington approved it. "They gave me permission to go, which I found interesting," she said. After the debate, she met one-on-one with Mr. Hamdan over tea, Ms. Schneller said.

"He was really genuinely interested in how to make a breakthrough in negotiations and how to engage constructively with the United States," she said.

Malley is a member of J Street's advisory council. Some of you may recall that he left Obama's campaign after it was disclosed that he was meeting with Hamas (on Obama's behalf?).

I also wonder whether Schneller is related to Israeli turncoat Otniel Schneller, the Yesha turncoat who is a Kadima MK.

But what's most curious about this is the following: If Obama can abandon Israel in favor of the 'Palestinians,' can he abandon Fatah and the 'Palestinian Authority' in favor of Hamas? You betcha.

What could go wrong?

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 3:15 PM