Approximately an hour ago, the Financial Times released an article confirming France's endorsement of Russia's unilateral decision to communicate with leaders of Hamas.
For those of you who aren't familiar with the situation, there was a Palestinian election last month, at the end of which members of Hamas were elected to positions of leadership. Prior to this election, the United States had recognized Hamas only as a terrorist organization, and, regardless of our definition of terrorist (some people might say that it is a matter of perspective, others do not), they have been responsible for violent actions in the past.
Regardless of whether or not I agree with the actions taken by France and Russia (that is a more complicated issue reserved for another post), I could not help but notice the irony of one statement nestled within the middle of the report: "US officials said they thought they had an understanding that no party would unilaterally talk to Hamas."
This statement bears a strong whiff of double-standard, for the United States has recently developed quite a history of acting unilaterally when it comes to international politics. I realize that the political leaders of the United States are required to act in the best interests of the country and to support its position at all times, but they should remember that we are still, for now, the leaders of the free world, and other nations will follow our example. In this case, we have set a precedent for ignoring friendly advice, one upon which France and Russia have eagerly pounced.
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No one in their right mind would ever agree with the politics and tactics of Hamas, unless they were a radical Islamist or some crooked member of an orginization or state who gets kicks by funding there brand of terror. The US policy is that there will be absolutely no dialogue between our government and a Hamas led Palestinian parliment. All the democratic progress they've made just went out the door.
Honestly, what can we expect from France and Russia? The Kremlin throws out more constitutional privies every day in Putin's struggle to keep a vice, dictatorial like grip on the state. France, albeit one of the world's best democracies, has a policy towards it's own people that borders on anti-freedom. Anyone remember the massive riots of the lower class in France? No not from the French Revolution, but from last year as Paris again was burning.
The US may have some scandals, and okay some crooks in office, but in general, in practice and theory, the US is still the world's shinig beacon of freedom and democracy, no matter how cliche that sounds. We can try all we want to bring such ideals to other countries, but ultimately they can go devolve reforms just as easily as they are instituted. It's the governments who crack down on the people that keep this backward tide going, and unless the citizens in any of these nations, including Palestine, uprise and throw off their oppressors instead of holding open arms to them, there's only so much we can do.
I personally am glad that a Hamas person won the election. This may hamper the U.S's involvement in Israel, and would finally remove unneeded work and death from that region.
However, I am happy that one country (France of all) is finally getting past American labeling of "terrorist groups. Hamas is only terrorist because Israel has unjustly taken its land since the Zionist movement.
I disagree with you. The palestinians were the agressor. They LOST the war and they lost the land. Why is isreal the only country that has to give up land when attacked by their enemy and they win?
I think that the Hammas philosophy has been since the onset of Isreal to "drive the jews to the sea" and they'll keep doing it. Yes, they SHOULD be allowed by Isreal to have a better standard of living and the wall may not be aiding that along, but the Arabs and the jews have fought for mileniums and according to some jewish scholars, jews were the original settlers of Jerusalum. There have been artifacts found proving this too.
So I think it's arrogant and racist to assume a terrorist group should be given legal standing while blaming Isreal. I'd like to remind all of you that in 1992 M. Beghin (spelling) signed a Peace treaty with Arafat. Both Palestinians and Jews have their doves and Hawks and its wrong to just blame Isreal.