Former peace negotiators urge world to engage with Hamas

A group of former international peace negotiators on Thursday urged the world and Israel to abandon the policy of isolating Hamas and engage with the Islamist militant group.

"The policy of isolating Hamas cannot bring about stability. As former peace negotiators, we believe it is of vital importance to abandon the failed policy of isolation and to involve Hamas in the political process," the group said in a letter published in the British newspaper The Times.

The letter said the futility of the policy had been demonstrated by Israel's recent offensive against Hamas in Gaza.

Israel, the United States and the European Union consider Hamas a terrorist organization. Since the group took over the Gaza Strip in a bloody 2007 coup, the international community has largely complied with an Israeli-led blockade of the coastal territory and boycott of its rulers.

But the group stated that, "Whether we like it or not, Hamas will not go away. Since its victory in democratic elections in 2006, Hamas has sustained its support in Palestinian society despite attempts to destroy it through economic blockades, political boycotts and military incursions."

Among the letter's signatories were former Australian Foreign Minister Gareth Evans, former United Nations special coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process Alvaro de Soto, former leader of the Social Democratic Liberal Party of Northern Ireland John Hume, as well as former Israeli foreign minister Shlomo Ben-Ami.

They also argued that the involvement in Hamas was crucial to the success of stalled peace talks between Israel and the Palestinian Authority."An Israeli-Palestinian peace settlement without Hamas will not be possible," they wrote, quoting legendary Israeli military leader Moshe Dayan as saying that peace was made with enemies, not friends.

The former peace negotiators ended the letter by saying that engaging Hamas did not amount to condoning terrorism or attacks on civilians, but was, in fact, a precondition for security and for brokering a workable agreement.

The letter came after British Foreign Secretary David Miliband said on Wednesday that talking to the Hamas was "the right thing to do" but Egypt and other parties were best placed to do it.

	Former Israeli foreign minister Shlomo Ben-Ami.
	Photo by: Limor Edrey