Pat Dollard

Tweet

Haaretz:

A spokesperson for U.S. president-elect Barack Obama on Friday denied a report that Obama is expected to engage Hamas in dialogue, after he takes office.

The U.K. newspaper The Guardian reported on Thursday quoting unnamed sources reportedly close to Obama’s transition team, who said he has been urged by close advisors to launch low-level contact with Hamas.

“The President-elect has repeatedly stated that he believes that Hamas is a terrorist organization dedicated to Israel’s destruction, and that we should not deal with them until they recognize Israel, renounce violence, and abide by past agreements,” said Brooke Anderson, chief national security spokesperson for the Obama transition team.

“The President elect’s repeated statements are accurate,” added Anderson. “This unsourced story is not.”

The article said though there hasn’t been any talk of Obama being in favor of direct negotiations with Hamas, a growing number of voices in Washington are saying the policy of isolating Hamas is not productive.

Regardless of the level of engagement, if Obama decides to reach out to Hamas, it would represent a stark break from the Bush presidency’s policy of isolating the group.

The article mentions advisors to Obama who are reportedly in favor of talks with Hamas, including Richard Haass, a diplomat who served under both Bush presidents and who a number of news outlets have named as Obama’s choice for Middle East envoy.

U.S. President-elect Barack Obama, who has avoided commenting on foreign policy matters, said on Wednesday he will “engage immediately” in the situation in the Middle East when he becomes president.

Obama, who takes office on January 20, repeated that he was deeply concerned about the situation in Gaza but said he it would be imprudent to send signals that his incoming administration is running foreign policy.

Obama broke his silence about the violence in the Gaza Strip on Tuesday, calling the loss of civilian lives in Gaza and in Israel a “source of deep concern for me.”

The president-elect added he would adhere to his principle that only Bush should be the voice of U.S. foreign policy at this time but he would have plenty to say after his inauguration in two weeks.