Obama aide denies report he will launch low-level contact with Hamas

[oberliner]

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 quoted 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."

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1054008.html

[EFerrari]

1. I heard a reporter disputing this story on Thursday night, Anderson Cooper's show.

Maybe her name is Cindy Crowley? She's sort of reasonable and not a right wingnut?

[oberliner]

3. Here is video from what I think you are talking about

http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/world/2009/01/09/sot.crowley.obama.hamas.cnn?iref=videosearch

[EFerrari]

4. Boy, you're good! That's exactly it!

[PurityOfEssence]

2. Well, at least we're learning more and more about what he's NOT going to do

He's wise to stay out of the Israel/Palestine problem until sworn in, but it needs to be at or near the top of the list for things to do once he is.

[elleng]

5. I THINK he said

we'd be hearing from him 'very shortly,' or 'immediately' after 20th, or swearing in.

AND this is the kind of story that will ALWAYS be denied.

[PurityOfEssence]

6. No argument here

I've been pretty consistent in saying that he's doing the right thing by being silent, and I'm hardly in the habit of going easy on him.

If he didn't have such a tendency to fence-sit, though, the punch line wouldn't have had any oomph...