Brits to “Recognize” Hezbollah

The Guardian reports:

Britain overturned its policy on a key Middle East issue yesterday by agreeing to talk to Hezbollah, the Lebanese Shia movement which fights Israel and is banned as a terrorist organisation by the US.

Bill Rammell, the Foreign Office minister, told MPs the government would authorise “carefully selected” contacts with the political wing of Hezbollah, which is represented in the Lebanese parliament. Other EU countries, including France, already deal with the group.

The move, urged privately by British diplomats for some time, may be partially intended to encourage the US to follow suit as Barack Obama’s administration pursues a fresh approach of engagement with parties shunned by George Bush.

Perhaps; or perhaps the move was coordinated with the Obama administration to pave the way for a similar move by the U.S. On the other hand, we have some history with Hezbollah that the British don’t: 241 Marines, murdered in Beirut. A great many Americans will say, let’s get friendly with Hezbollah when Hell freezes over. So maybe the idea will be for the U.S. to communicate with the terrorists indirectly, through Great Britain?

One way or another, this represents another step in the mainstreaming of Islamic terrorism. Via Andy McCarthy at The Corner.

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