From The New Republic Online: HOW NOT TO ENGAGE HAMAS , by Robert Satloff 06.16.05
...the Middle East policy buzz du jour is whether the Bush administration will jettison years of precedent and authorize diplomatic contact with Hamas....Running on an anti-corruption, clean-government platform, Hamas won nearly half of all municipal councils up for grabs in recent voting. ...
The rub, of course, is that Hamas...is more than just a party with which we disagree; it is a terrorist organization, responsible for the murders of hundreds of Israelis, Americans, and citizens of many other countries. Its hate-filled charter--which endorses just about every crazy conspiracy theory about Jews, Freemasons, Lions, and Rotarians ever conceived--specifically calls for Israel's destruction.
...So which is the correct approach to Hamas--engagement or isolation?
The answer lies in our historical experience with ... the Palestine Liberation Organization. The United States should subject Hamas to the same conditions it demanded of the PLO two decades ago...it is only worth engaging Hamas after it fulfills a set of commitments that would, by their very nature, transform the organization from a radical terrorist group into a legitimate political party.
...Local popularity--whether measured by polling data or the ballot box--should not by itself merit Washington's seal of approval. Two other tests are key: a terror test (does the group renounce armed struggle to achieve its aims and accept negotiations as the only means to a settlement?) and a values test (does the group recognize Israel's legitimate right to exist?). If Hamas wants a relationship with the United States, it should meet both tests; and if it doesn't, the United States would be wise not to deal with those Palestinian municipalities that have elected Hamas politicians. Instead, America could send funding for local projects to the Palestinian Authority ...or even scrap U.S. funding for a particular town's project altogether--and demonstrate to local citizens that voting the Hamas ticket is not cost-free.
What sad irony it would be if the United States failed to demand of Hamas today what was demanded of the PLO two decades ago. To expect such concessions before talking to Hamas is only common sense. It should be de rigeur and required.
Dr. Robert Satloff is executive director of The Washington Institute for Near East Policy.
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