Barack Obama spoke by phone with Muslim Brotherhood Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi thee times in the last 24 hours. Obama asked the man who regards Israel as his greatest enemy to broker a truce between Israel and Hamas.
En route from Asia back to the United States, Obama spoke for 20 minutes with Morsi.
Deputy National Security Adviser Ben Rhodes said, “It was an opportunity for them to continue the discussions they’ve been having and to speak in advance of Secretary Clinton’s arrival in the region.”
Because the U.S. considers Hamas a terrorist group, it cannot negotiate with them, so Obama asked his good friend Morsi to intercede. The White House wants to puff Morsi up; Rhodes loftily stated that Obama’s continual dialogue with Morsi “indicated that Egypt plays a very important role in this process and President Morsi personally plays an important role. We… believe he is sincere in his desire to see a de-escalation that avoids further loss of life, allows for a restoration of calm, and we believe that, of course, must include a stop to rocket fire into Israel.”
It’s absurd that the man who hates Israel with every fiber of his being is being asked by the U.S. to be the interlocutor in the war between Israel and Hamas. Is there no other person who might be a tad more evenhanded to do the job? Why should anyone expect Barack Obama to reject any Islamist he has helped ascend to power?
COMMENTS
Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.