DAMASCUS, Syria — The top Hamas leader on Thursday welcomed what he said is “new language” by President Barack Obama toward the Islamic militant group — part of Hamas’ cautious outreach to Washington in recent weeks.
In a televised speech, Hamas chief Khaled Mashaal avoided any mention of the recent turmoil in Iran, even though the Islamic militant group is backed by the Tehran regime.
Earlier Thursday, Iran’s hardline president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, accused Obama of meddling because of growing U.S. criticism of Iran’s clampdown on opposition protesters.
Iran’s other militant ally, the Lebanese Hezbollah group, has sided with Iran’s ruling clerics.
Hamas has been trying to reach out to the Obama administration in hopes of breaking out of its international isolation and prying open the borders of blockaded Hamas-ruled Gaza.
The United States and Europe consider Hamas a terrorist group and have said they will only engage if Hamas recognizes Israel and renounces violence. Hamas has rejected those conditions, saying it cannot make such concessions up front.
In a speech to the Muslim world earlier this month, Obama insisted that Hamas meet the conditions, but he also suggested the group could play a political role in the future.
Mashaal on Thursday praised what he described as Obama’s “new language toward Hamas.”
“It is the first step in the right direction toward a dialogue without conditions, and we welcome this,” he said.
However, he said the U.S. must respect the Palestinians’ democratic choice; Hamas overwhelmingly won Palestinian parliament elections in 2006.
The Hamas chief-in-exile also said Obama remains too sympathetic toward Israel.
