This is not strategy; it is double standards dressed up as
pragmatism. US labels Hamas terrorists when it wants to project toughness at
home, but when hostages are in danger, when civilian deaths spark global outrage,
or when Arab allies threaten to break ranks, suddenly those “terrorists” become
indispensable negotiating partners. The moral line evaporates the moment US
interests are at stake.
The hypocrisy runs deep. The US slammed the Taliban for decades,
only to sit across the table with them in Doha. It demonized Iraqi insurgents,
then quietly cut deals to protect its own troops. It threatens “rogue states”
like North Korea, then rushes into summits when the nuclear rhetoric escalates.
With Hamas, the pattern is the same - condemnation in speeches, cooperation in
practice.
This duplicity has consequences. By insisting Hamas is
illegitimate yet negotiating with it whenever convenient, Washington undermines
its own credibility. The message is clear: terrorism is a negotiable label,
applied or ignored depending on political expediency. For people in the Middle
East, this only confirms what they already suspect—that US policy is not about
principles, but about protecting its own interests and Israel’s dominance.
If the US truly believes Hamas is a terrorist organization,
then it should be consistent and refuse talks, no matter the cost. If, on the
other hand, it recognizes that Hamas is an unavoidable political actor, then it
should drop the pretense and admit it. Straddling both positions—condemnation
in rhetoric, negotiation in reality—is not statesmanship. It is hypocrisy.
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