Just Foreign Policy wrote:
Just Foreign Policy News, January 30, 2009
Hamas demonstration in Gaza
From: Just Foreign Policy [info@justforeignpolicy.org]
Sent: Friday, January 30, 2009 5:49 PM
To: Tom Chambless
Subject: Just Foreign Policy News, January 30, 2009
1) Tony Blair says Hamas must be brought into the Middle East peace process because the policy of isolating Gaza in the quest for a settlement will not work, The Times of London reports. Asked whether he had changed his view about talking to Hamas, Blair replied his “basic predisposition is that in a situation like this you talk to everybody.” But he repeated the Quartet position that there can be no talks with Hamas until they renounce violence and recognize Israel. Blair then made a distinction between negotiating with Hamas as part of a peace process, and “talking to Hamas as the de facto power in Gaza.”
Just as with the Bush plan for diplomacy with Iran, Blair advocates a similar Catch 22 situation for Hamas. If there can be not talks with Hamas until they renounce violence and recognize Israel, then there will be nothing to talk about at the negotiating table. It strains diplomacy for one side to be forced to start at such a disadvantage. I know that Hamas is violent verging on terrorist, but I don’t believe they are stupid enough to agree to that.
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