[AP] Jamal Halaby - In an about-face, Jordan is reaching out to Hamas as Jordanian intelligence chief Mohammed al-Dahabi held two covert meetings with top Hamas leaders this month, ending a nearly decade-long banishment of the group. Israeli Embassy spokesman Itai Bardov in Amman called Jordan's contacts with Hamas "unhelpful to the peace process." "We're against any negotiations with Hamas because we regard it as a terrorist movement," he said. "We should find ways to strengthen the Palestinian Authority instead of legitimizing Hamas, which made an illegal military coup in Gaza." The U.S. also considers Hamas a terror organization and has refused contact with it.
2008-08-28 01:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive