Haniyeh wants to talk with Obama
Haniyeh wants to talk with ObamaFlash 90

The Hamas terrorist organization has changed its tune and has expressed a desire to talk with President-elect Barack Obama. "We are ready to hold a serious dialogue with the new United States president," de facto Gaza prime minister and Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh said Thursday.

Mahmoud Abbas, leader of the rival Fatah party and head of the Palestinian Authority, did not object to the idea and told reporters it is up Hamas to decide.

Despite Obama's comments during the recent campaign that he would not meet with the outlawed terrorist organization, Israel's largest Hebrew daily, Yediot Acharonot, wrote this week, "One can assume that the ban on American representatives from holding contacts with Hamas leaders will be rescinded."

Hamas's readiness to talk with the next American government follows by several days an invitation to its political leaders to visit the European Union assembly in Brussels this spring, a move that Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum called a "good sign."

Hamas's readiness to talk with the next American government follows by several days an invitation to its political leaders to visit the European Union assembly.





During the Obama-McCain race, Hamas leader Sami Abu Zuhri chastised both the Democratic and Republic candidates. "Hamas does not differentiate between the two presidential candidates, Obama and McCain, because their policies regarding the Arab-Israel conflict are the same and are hostile to us. Therefore we… have no preference and are not wishing for either of them to win," he said.

However, following the dramatic victory by the first-ever black president-elect, Hamas stood in line behind Abbas, Iran and other Muslim countries that have expressed joy that the next president has a Muslim background by virtue of being raised by a Muslim father.

Obama said during his campaign that although he was willing to meet with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, he distinguished the country from a political party such as Hamas.

During his campaign, the president-elect took pains to distance himself from Hamas. At one point he fired Rob Malley, his Middle East advisor, after it was revealed that he had met with Hamas several times.

"Sen. Obama strongly opposes talking to Hamas, a terrorist group committed to Israel's destruction,” Obama campaign spokesman Ben LaBolt stated at the time. "As president, he will work to isolate Hamas and target its resources, and rejects any dialogue until Hamas recognizes Israel, renounces terrorism, and abides by previous agreements."

However, former American President Jimmy Carter undermined American efforts at isolating Hamas by meeting several months ago with Hamas leaders in Syria.

In the background is President-elect Obama's perspective, as written in the British Guardian, that solving the Israeli-Arab conflict would pave the road for a Pax Americana. In an interview with the newspaper, Obama quoted Jordan's King Abdullah that "if we can solve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, then that will make it easier for Arab states and the Gulf states to support us when it comes to issues like Iraq and Afghanistan.

"If we've got an Israeli-Palestinian peace deal, maybe at the same time peeling Syria out of the Iranian orbit, that makes it easier to isolate Iran so that they have a tougher time developing a nuclear weapon."