US Envoy Discovers Hamas Leaders Can Talk Peace, Not Just Missiles
In a surprising twist, US envoy Steve Witkoff is reportedly meeting Hamas leader Khalil al-Hayya to discuss a Gaza ceasefire, as published by The New Arab. This happens after months of Washington insisting that Hamas is a terror organization with whom negotiation is impossible. The sheer absurdity, however, is that this wasn't always off the table. The US allowed, even facilitated, Hamas's entry
into the 2006 Palestinian elections, then promptly sanctioned the resulting unity government. The pattern is clear: dialogue is only acceptable when it serves immediate US-Israel interests, otherwise it’s just 'terrorism.' One might wonder if all those years of refusing to speak to the elected (albeit unapproved) representatives of Palestinians, while simultaneously funneling billions in aid to a
government actively besieging them, were perhaps counterproductive? Or if the sudden willingness to talk directly comes only after months of global outrage and Biden's poll numbers tanking? It appears the US government finds its 'terrorist' designation for Hamas remarkably flexible when domestic political pressure mounts. Who knew?