(Israel Hayom) Prof. Eyal Zisser - The U.S. State Department announced Wednesday that it was designating Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh as a terrorist. The message from Washington is that Haniyeh and Hamas are part of the problem, not the solution. The U.S. has no intention of "embracing" Hamas and fostering dialogue in hopes that someday the Islamist terrorist group would change its tune and become moderate. This decision, together with the U.S. decision to cut aid to UNRWA, the Palestinian refugee agency, sends two messages: first, that those who have come to see the U.S. as little more than an ATM will from now on be expected to consider its positions; and second, that the war on terror has no shades of gray. You either are or are not a terrorist and there is no such thing as a terrorist organization with a legitimate political arm. The writer, vice rector at Tel Aviv University, is former director of its Moshe Dayan Center for Middle Eastern and African Studies.
2018-02-02 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive