Saturday, January 17, 2009

Talk to Hamas?

 I say no, for reasons explained in this National Post column:

Advocates of engagement with Hamas use the word "talk" to mean two very different things — in fact, two exactly opposite things.

For sure, Western intelligence services should be conducting informal talks with individual members of Hamas. We can learn things by listening to them (always remembering of course that they may be feeding disinformation intended to deceive —and that they are probing us at the same time as we probe them).

Likewise, it's good strategy to try to detach less radical individuals from radical insurgencies. That strategy is now pacifying Iraq. It is being tested in Afghanistan. Conceivably it could work in Gaza too. If that's what is proposed, it's worth a try.

But of course that is not what is being proposed. What is being proposed is to talk to Hamas's leadership — not disaffected Hamas membership. What is being proposed is not intelligence-gathering, but diplomatic negotiations.

Such negotiations would create a series of extremely dangerous incentives for the region and the Palestinian people.

01/17 08:13 AM