Guardian: Obama to talk to Hamas

The Guardian reports that three sources tell them that Obama is planning to talk to Hamas. This is a 180 degree shift from Bush’s stance, which has been to isolate Hamas:

The incoming Obama administration is prepared to abandon George 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 state department has designated Hamas a terrorist organisation, and in 2006 ­Congress passed a law banning US financial aid to 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, 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.

During the campaign he said he would talk to Iran without preconditions. Now we hear he’ll talk to Hamas, too. Nothing like marginalizing Israel, one of our closest allies, and legitimizing the terrorists who want to destroy it.

Hat tip: Yid With Lid