Rice: Better to have Hamas in power than in streets

[Scurrilous]

US secretary of state says Hamas government may be preferable to group 'running the streets, masked, with guns'

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3324663,00.html

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"An elected Hamas government in the Palestinian territories may be preferable to the group operating outside the power structure and carrying out terrorist actions, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Monday.

Rice, speaking to a pro-democracy forum, made the point in arguing that that the United States should not retreat from its advocacy of democracy abroad when elections do not turn out well from the US point of view. Referring to Hamas, Rice said, "I am not so sure that it is better to have these groups running the streets, masked, with guns rather than having them have to face voters and having to deliver."

While the election that produced the Hamas victory was free and fair, she said Hamas has failed in its responsibility to obtain international acceptability. The result, Rice said, has been that the Palestinian people basically have been deprived of international assistance.

"The interesting point is would we have ever seen Hamas confronted with that dilemma without elections and without coming in to govern," Rice said.

She added that the international community should do more to convince Middle East groups that enter politics to give up terror."