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Source: http://washingtoninstitute.org/templateC05.php?CID=2999
Defining a "Prediplomacy" Agenda for U.S.-Mideast Efforts
[Washington Institute for Near East Policy] Robert Satloff - New U.S. special Mideast envoy George Mitchell has not endorsed the view that calls for finding ways to engage Hamas in diplomacy. There is no hint that the Obama-Clinton team intends on dipping its toes in the Hamas waters without Hamas first meeting stiff international conditions for dialogue. A prediplomacy strategy should include the following elements: Stabilize the truce by securing broad international contribution to and support of Egyptian-Israeli countersmuggling efforts. Use the funds and process of Gaza reconstruction to further erode Hamas' standing. Invest quickly and robustly in the Dayton and Blair agendas in the West Bank. Work to adapt, not merely adopt, the Arab peace initiative to provide a regional context to Israeli-PA cooperation. The writer is executive director of The Washington Institute.