Oren: No indication Hamas will recognize peace process

Israeli Ambassador to the US Michael Oren spoke out against the Hamas-Fatah unity deal in an interview with National Public Radio on Thursday.“Hamas has fired thousands of rockets at Israeli citizens, at our towns, at our farms,” Oren said, “and Hamas is one of the only elements in the Middle East to condemn the US’s action against [Osama] bin Laden.”For Hamas to be “brought into the government with the Palestinian Authority, who we hoped to engage in the peace process for a two-state solution, is extremely difficult for us,” Oren explained.He added: “There is no indication that Hamas is willing to give up terror, recognize Israel or recognize the peace process.”When asked if Palestinian unity could be seen as a positive development, Oren said: “It’s preferable that there be Palestinian unity between Gaza and the West Bank, but we don’t want that at the cost of giving a victory to terror.”The interviewer also discussed a book penned by Oren, Six Days of War, about the 1967 conflict.“What’s important in the Six Day War is that we see events in the Middle East can get out of hand very quickly,” he said, mentioning the current upheaval in the region.

Oren also said that analyzing the Six Day War makes him optimistic about the Middle East today.“In 1967, the major issue in the Middle East was war with Israel,” Oren said. “The major issue today is not how best to make war with Israel, it’s how to make peace with Israel. It’s quite a sea change.”