Obama 'aid for Hamas' move has Israel supporters in a sweat

More evidence of daylight emerging between the US and Israel. The two allies don't quite see eye to eye on two states, with the new Israeli government set against any such move and linking the issue to Iran.

At the weekend the Obama administration signaled it wishes to see changes in US law to allow it to provide aid to a unified Palestinian government that would include Hamas. This is welcome, albeit purely theoretical as there is no such government in position.

Obama's timid move has enraged the pro-Israel lobby in the US and is worrying Israeli leaders, which is no bad thing, even if their fears are overstated.

The administration seeks changes that would permit aid to Palestinians even if officials backed by Hamas, which has been designated a terrorist group, become part of a unified Palestinian government...

...Nevertheless, the move has alarmed congressional supporters of Israel, who are watching for signs that the new Democratic team at the White House might be more sympathetic to Palestinians than was the Bush administration.

The administration's proposal is akin to agreeing to support a government that "only has a few Nazis in it," Rep. Mark Steven Kirk (R-Ill.) told Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton at a House hearing last week. From the Los Angeles Times

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