Time magazine reports that Ehud Olmert, the architect of Israel's major military incursion into Lebanon, wants to negotiate with Hamas.
In a major slap in the face to President Bush and John McCain, Olmert has stepped out and taken a bold risk for peace and security in the Middle East:
(U)nder instructions from Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, Israel envoys have been carrying out discreet talks with the very "radicals and terrorists" that Bush was warning against in his speech: Syria, the Lebanese militia Hizballah and the Palestinian militant group Hamas.
In a remarkable move, Israel has added Hamas to the same list as Syria: an enemy of Israel worth its diplomatic energies:
It is partly a measure of how far the Bush Administration's stature has fallen that even staunch allies like the Israelis are now ignoring White House commandments. But it may also be an act of desperation by the embattled Israeli leader, who sees no choice but to rebuff the U.S. if he wants to win back popular Israeli support.
Shrugging off Bush's warning against "appeasing" its enemies by negotiating with them, the Israeli government is engaging in Egyptian-brokered cease-fire talks with Hamas, the militant Islamic rulers of the Gaza strip. At the same time, through Turkish diplomats, it is sending out feelers to Damascus to discuss Israel's possible return of the Golan Heights in exchange for Syria's cutting off its support and sanctuary for Palestinian militant leaders from Hamas and Islamic Jihad. As one Israeli official told TIME: "For us, peace doesn't mean embassies in Damascus and Tel Aviv, but an end to Syria's destructive roles. Hamas has its headquarters in Damascus, and Syria backs Hizballah."
Perhaps Israel thinks that Senator Obama has the right idea: that of principled negotiation that does not surrender our security or our principles.
Lo and behold, Israel might want to use diplomacy to strategically marginalize their enemies:
A deal with Syria, meanwhile, would also be a boon to Olmert; many Israelis would welcome it, and it might drive a wedge between the Syrians and their radical allies, Iran, Hizballah and Hamas.
I've never heard of anyone who approaches diplomacy as a game of chess.
Whoever might do that must be a weakling, a mental midget...
Nope, never heard of anyone doing that.
UPDATE: DemocraticLuntz helpfully points out that this is not Obama's stance. Nevertheless, I submit that this is not going to help John McCain paint Obama as an appeaser, esp. if it's the Israelis doing it.