Special Emissary to Hamas?

Aaron Klein of World Net Daily reports that the Obama administration is using Jimmy Carter as a special liaison with Hamas:

Former President Jimmy Carter presented Hamas with a written initiative intended to open talks between the Islamist group and the U.S. without Hamas having to accept all conditions previously laid out for dialogue by the American government, top Hamas officials told WND.

Those conditions, expressed twice by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, are Hamas’ renouncement of violence, recognition of Israel and agreement to abide by previous PLO commitments. The conditions were adopted by the Mideast Quartet, which consists of the U.S., United Nations, Russia and the European Union.

Carter, however, handed Hamas last week a letter “that aims to open dialogue between Hamas and U.S.,” Mushir al-Masri, a member of Hamas’ parliament and a spokesman for the Islamist group, told WND today.

Two top Hamas sources told WND Carter’s initiative bypasses Clinton’s conditions and instead asks Hamas to recognize the so-called two-state solution as well as the Arab Peace Initiative.

Al-Masri said Hamas was studying Carter’s plan.

“In any response to Carter we will reject the conditions of the Quartet, specifically the recognition of Israel,” al-Masri said. …

Separately, in an interview with WND on Thursday, Hamas’ chief political adviser in Gaza Yousef refused to confirm or deny that any message was passed to his group from the White House.

Youssef said, however, Carter is the “right person” to serve as a middle man between Hamas and the Obama administration. …

Separately, al-Masri said in a joint interview with WND and Israel’s Ynetnews.com, “We know Carter is not acting alone. He is acting as part of the large American system.” … [H]e claimed Hamas has “excellent relations with elements in the circle of the decision making in the U.S. administration.”

“We are appreciating the change in the attitude in the U.S. toward Hamas,” he said.

Is the report accurate? I believe Klein is considered reliable, and the story is, sadly, plausible.

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