"Britain's priority should now be to draw Hamas back into a national unity government with the more moderate Fatah movement and persuade it to renounce violence, the committee said."
Right. Good luck with that. "British lawmakers say UK should talk to Hamas, Hizbullah," from the Associated Press:
Britain should begin talking directly with three of the Middle East's most prominent radical Islamic groups - Hamas, Hizbullah and the Muslim Brotherhood - a committee of lawmakers said in a report released Monday.
British diplomats should speak with moderate elements from such groups and continue engaging Iran and Syria because their influence can no longer be discounted, Parliament's Foreign Affairs Committee said.
Who are the "moderate elements," and what exactly makes them either "moderate," or remotely
trustworthy?
"The Muslim Brotherhood is strong in Egypt, and Hamas and Hizbullah cannot be ignored," the report said.
The report criticized Britain's role in the international boycott of Hamas, saying it had contributed to the collapse of the unity government in the Palestinian territories amid the violence and political breakdown that engulfed the West Bank and Gaza in June.
Britain's priority should now be to draw Hamas back into a national unity government with the more moderate Fatah movement and persuade it to renounce violence, the committee said.
The lawmakers urged former Prime Minister Tony Blair, the new envoy for the Quartet, an international group of Middle East mediators, to negotiate directly with the militant Islamic organization.
A similar approach was recommended for dealing with Lebanon's Hizbullah and the Muslim Brotherhood, Egypt's outlawed opposition party. Lawmakers described Hizbullah's role in Lebanon as malign and said the scope of the Brotherhood's Islamist agenda was uncertain, but the power and influence of the two made dealing with them unavoidable.
The report said dialogue with Syria and Iran must feature in regional negotiations. It said Damascus - long accused of destabilizing Lebanon - "may slowly be changing for the better."
If Damascus is behaving any better, it is precisely because it has been under pressure, from the Lebanese, Israel, and the U.S., among others -- not out of the kindness of Bashar Assad's heart or those of his handlers.
Britain's Foreign Office said it had challenged Hamas to renounce violence before it would talk with the group, which now controls Gaza. "There have to be some ground rules," the office said in a statement.
[...]
While the report largely covered British policy in the Middle East, it also questioned US foreign policy. The committee said the US-backed "roadmap" for Mideast peace had become irrelevant, that its "surge" strategy in Iraq was unlikely to succeed, and that the "War on Terror" vocabulary espoused by US officials created resentment across the Middle East.
Well, there's always "War on Jihad."
""British lawmakers say UK should talk to Hamas, Hizbullah,"
....yep, they should tell them to surrender now....and convert to Christianity....
"[T]he "War on Terror" vocabulary espoused by US officials created resentment across the Middle East."
Fascinating. The only reason to resent the notion of fighting terror is if they approve of it, no? Or do they equate "terror" with Islam?
President Bush coined the phrase specifically to avoid the implication that he was initiating a war on Islam. Why does the resentful Islamic Middle East insist upon equating terror with Islam? If the shoe fits?
"Why does the resentful Islamic Middle East insist upon equating terror with Islam?"
....they know the truth....
"Britain's priority should now be to draw Hamas back into a national unity government with the more moderate Fatah movement and persuade it to renounce violence, the committee said."
Suidical Fools!
British lawmakers should ask moderate elements inside the Israeli parliment ( Knesset ) if talking to groups like the PLO, Hamas, Hizb'Allah and the rest has helped over the last 30 - 40 years. Has it helped since 1967 in any meaningful way over even a medium-term timeframe?
those Brits so cosmo..like Muhammed said "Float like a pig, sting like an ape"..oh, wrong Muhammed.
socialist law makers are destroying the fabric of british society and are undermining democracy. how can these powerful people dictate international law to the british?
we elect politicians not lawmakers to run the UK.
how can we fight back against the legal system itself? if they are the ones who are now making up the law as they go along.
It beggars belief doesn't it. More wooly minded pap from people who are supposed be able to make a realistic assessment of the situation.
How do these half-wits get into positions of influence?
Just goes to show, all you have to do to travel from supporting the extreme left to supporting the extreme right is stand still, the pernicious vile doctrines will catch up with you.
Rudolf Hess suggested the same thing to the Brits in 1941.
They imprisoned him for life.
Times have changed.
"In the name of God, go!", Oliver Chromwell, dismissing the rump parliament, 20 April 1653.
A few choice quotes:
"It is high time for me to put an end to your sitting in this place, which you have dishonoured..."
"...ye are a factious crew, and enemies to all good government, ye are a pack of mercenary wretches, and would like Esau, sell your country for a mess of potage, and like Judas betray your God for a few pieces of money; is there a single virtue now remaining among you? ..."
"Is there a man amongst you that has the least care for the good of the Commonwealth?"
and
"Make hast! Ye venal slaves be gone!"
Not much has changed since 1653. It there anyone who can step into Oliver's shoes? They must have been size 15.
.