You are an American not living in reality if you don't recognize Israel. You may not like Israel, fine. The fact is though that Israel is a nation and it is not going away or be anihilated. The end of the world will happen before that happens and you can't cange that.

I couldnt care any less about Israel.

Obviously your information is incorrect.

Anyhow the point is that whether you like it or not, the palestinians chose a party to speak for them. That is a fact. The party was chosen in the most fair elections the middle east have ever seen.

It is fair enough that you don't like their political stance and you do not agree with their perception of the ME conflict.

HOWEVER, they ARE the elected representatives and they DO represent their people. If the world is to have any sort of resolution of the situation, there MUST be negotiations between the elected representatives.

Otherwise nothing is being done. Refusing to meet with one of the fairly elected parties in the conflict will do nothing other than continue the downward spiral.

The radical stance of hamas will never change under duress. WIth the martyr psychology of the party, they will die before they submit to outside pressure.

I do not judge the vlidity of such actions ( politics cannot be based on such judgements). I do however see the situation. The situation is such that the ONLY way to de-militarize hamas is by accepting them as a political representative and then condemning any violent action sanctioned by them.

Talking to them politically and giving them the rights accorded them as elected representatives of their people is the ONLY way to ensure that they move from being a militant organization to a political party. Once they feel the pressures of politics, they will realize that violent acts such as terrorist bombings makes their political discourse difficult.. and it will phase out the terrorist method. Terrorism has only one pupose.. to gain attention. Give them the political attention and they will not need terrorist methods any more.

You may not like it but that really is the only way to start resolving the conflict from this point on.