Clinton, Carter Talking with HAMAS on Prisoners?

There's a report out that "Washington" (presumably the U.S. government) is having discussions with HAMAS leadership to have former Presidents Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter go to the Gaza Strip to negotiate a prisoner exchange in which kidnapped Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit would be traded for the release of Palestinian prisoners.

Reportedly, the possibility of an exchange was raised by Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu speaking to Bill Clinton on a recent visit to New York.

The source of the information is Islamic in nature and remains unconfirmed.

The paper further stated that if such a visit were to take place, it would be the most prominent sign of the Obama administration's openness towards Hamas, following unofficial talks between American diplomats and the movement's heads in Damascus.

The presidents, if they do in fact visit the Strip, are also slated to address the Israeli blockade on Gaza, Hamas' international isolation, and the movement's recognition in the international arena in exchange for certain guarantees.

The U.S. government negotiating with a designated foreign terrorist organization, HAMAS, is a complete reversal of the historic posture that America doesn't negotiate with terrorists.

But that's not all. It seems completely out of character for the Obama administration, which for 18 months has been frosty toward Israel, to now try to benefit the Jews by engaging HAMAS.

Sending Bill Clinton on a diplomatic mission isn't unusual, though, he's been quite the bon vivant traveling statesman since he left office.

However, a real jaw-dropper is the proposal to send Jimmy Carter to negotiate with HAMAS on behalf of the Jews. Carter has garnered a widespread reputation of being unfriendly toward Israel and the Jews. I'd suggest Jimmy Carter is not the best person to represent Israeli and Jewish interests.

Given that the proposal was written up in one Middle East newspaper, I suspect that it may just be a trial balloon to see how many people will actually support such an endeavor. Superficially, the idea is really ludicrous.

Tip: Kenny Solomon