Don't want to pat myself on the back quite yet...but per my "option three" that I proposed during my presentation, it appears that at least half of it has come to pass. That half, of course, being the fact that the US should continue humanitarian aid to the Palestinians. Could it be we have secret negotiations going on somewhere with "pragmatic" Hamas leaders? Could be... But check out this story from 1 hr ago from the AP (have only reprinted half of it for space's sake):
U.S. to Continue Sending Palestinians Aid
By MOHAMMED DARAGHMEH, Associated Press Writer 50 minutes ago
RAMALLAH, West Bank - The United States will continue sending humanitarian aid to the Palestinian people even after a Hamas government is formed, a senior U.S. envoy told Palestinian leaders during the first high-level meeting between the two sides since Hamas' election victory.
State Department envoy David Welch said the U.S. continues "to be devoted to the humanitarian needs of the Palestinian people and we shall remain so."
Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat said Welch told Palestinian officials that U.S. aid would be redirected, but Welch did not specify how.
Erekat noted that hundreds of millions of dollars in U.S. aid flow directly into infrastructure projects every year, and not into Palestinian government coffers.
"We urged the U.S. administration to continue helping the Palestinian people, as it did in previous years," Erekat said after the meeting. "They have never transferred a single dollar to the Palestinian Authority' directly. The money was being transferred via non-governmental organizations."
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