Hamas Confirms.
My collegue Aaron Klein reports from Jerusalem that Hamas political adviser Ahmed Yousef (right) now confirms that Hamas reps met with Obama reps months in the Gaza strip, likely at Gaza City, in order to discuss post-election relations between Hamas and
a
new presidency. Aaron and I first spoke to Ahmed Yousef on air in
April 2008, and in our conversation we encouraged Ahmed Yousef to speak
of his and Hamas's sympathy and prejudice for Barack Obama. Many denials from the usual agitprop outlets followed the broadcast and Aaron's report on WND. John McCain's even
then inept campaign used the detail of the on-air conversation to send
out a fund raising letter, but no more. The report went around the
world several times and then faded into the background of the campaign.
When we spoke again with Ahmed Yousef in October, he again showed his
eagerness to deal with the Obama presidency, however he was careful to
mention John McCain. Nice caution. Now Aaron reports the further
surprising detail that the conversations between Hamas and the Obama
team included a meeting in Gaza. We knew that the contacts were likely
to have been made on the West Bank, however this Gaza detail is vivid,
and speaks to high risks. Unless the Obama rep came in from the Sinai
side. Note from Aaron that the Obama transition denies any contact by
representatives of the campaign in Gaza. What I take from all this is
that the Obama administration is no different so far from the clumsy,
deceptive, banal, paint-by-numbers foreign policy of the Bush and
Clinton administrations. Indeed, studying the arrogant numbskull
behavior of the Kennedy administration with Vietnam, denying the
obvious, misleading the public, fighting out policy in public with
leaks and bloviating, I can suppose now that the Obama State Department
will be at home with the ghosts of John Foster Dulles, Dean Rusk, William Rogers, Henry Kissinger --
the posse that led America into and then out of the Vietnam tragedy
with no regrets. Aaron and I reported an undisguised fact of open
sympathy and secretive contacts between Hamas and the Obama team well
before the election, and the contacts were more than once, much more
than once. Hamas knew. Jerusalem knew. Washington knew. The Kremlin
knew. Tehran, Damascus Cairo, Riyadh, Amman, Lebanon knew. It was
denied by the Obama team then and now. Change?
a
new presidency. Aaron and I first spoke to Ahmed Yousef on air in
April 2008, and in our conversation we encouraged Ahmed Yousef to speak
of his and Hamas's sympathy and prejudice for Barack Obama. Many denials from the usual agitprop outlets followed the broadcast and Aaron's report on WND. John McCain's even
then inept campaign used the detail of the on-air conversation to send
out a fund raising letter, but no more. The report went around the
world several times and then faded into the background of the campaign.
When we spoke again with Ahmed Yousef in October, he again showed his
eagerness to deal with the Obama presidency, however he was careful to
mention John McCain. Nice caution. Now Aaron reports the further
surprising detail that the conversations between Hamas and the Obama
team included a meeting in Gaza. We knew that the contacts were likely
to have been made on the West Bank, however this Gaza detail is vivid,
and speaks to high risks. Unless the Obama rep came in from the Sinai
side. Note from Aaron that the Obama transition denies any contact by
representatives of the campaign in Gaza. What I take from all this is
that the Obama administration is no different so far from the clumsy,
deceptive, banal, paint-by-numbers foreign policy of the Bush and
Clinton administrations. Indeed, studying the arrogant numbskull
behavior of the Kennedy administration with Vietnam, denying the
obvious, misleading the public, fighting out policy in public with
leaks and bloviating, I can suppose now that the Obama State Department
will be at home with the ghosts of John Foster Dulles, Dean Rusk, William Rogers, Henry Kissinger --
the posse that led America into and then out of the Vietnam tragedy
with no regrets. Aaron and I reported an undisguised fact of open
sympathy and secretive contacts between Hamas and the Obama team well
before the election, and the contacts were more than once, much more
than once. Hamas knew. Jerusalem knew. Washington knew. The Kremlin
knew. Tehran, Damascus Cairo, Riyadh, Amman, Lebanon knew. It was
denied by the Obama team then and now. Change?
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