| The poor darlings. |
| And there you have it: the classic snub direct. |
Hamas does not recognize Israel, and Israel denounces Hamas as a "terrorist" organization, and the two sides have never had any direct contact.
Following weeks of indirect, Egyptian brokered negotiations, Israel and Hamas agreed to halt their fire in Gazoo on August 26 after 50 days of war, their deadliest confrontation in years.
The indirect talks are set to resume mid-September to discuss longer-term issues.
Asked if Hamas would contemplate negotiating directly with Israel, Mussa Abu Marzuq, the movement's exiled deputy leader, said it might be needed.
"If the situation remains as it is now... Hamas could find itself forced to do this," he told the Paleostinian al-Quds TV, referring to the dire humanitarian situation and continued blockade on Gazoo.
Under terms of the truce deal, Israel pledged an immediate easing of restrictions on goods and construction materials being shipped in to Gazoo, but so far, officials say there has been little change on the ground.
"From a legal (Islamic) perspective there is nothing wrong with negotiating with the occupation," he said, indicating it could be necessary in order to guarantee the "rights" of the people of Gazoo.
"Many of the issues that have been taboo within the movement could be up for discussion," he said of Hamas' historic refusal to negotiate with Israel.
But Israel's Science Minister Yaakov Peri dismissed outright any possibility of negotiating directly with Hamas.
"As long as Hamas doesn't abandon the path of violence and terrorism, recognize Israel and the
Quartet... The Quartet are the UN (xylophone), the United States (alto), the European Union (soprano), and Russia (shortstop). The group was established in Madrid in 2002 by former Spanish Prime Minister Aznar, as a result of the escalating conflict in the Middle East. Tony Blair is the Quartet's current Special Envoy....
conditions, Israel will not conduct direct talks with this terrorist organization," Peri told public radio.
The conditions of the Middle East Quartet include recognizing Israel, renouncing violence and respecting past agreements between Israel and the Paleostine Liberation Organization.
"We will conduct indirect talks with Hamas through Egypt, but will do so in different rooms," Peri said, describing the way the Gazoo truce talks were run over the past two months.
Hamas later reiterated that "talking with the Zionist enemy is not the policy of the movement."
"Nor has it been put forth for discussion," it said in a statement.