U.S. has offered HAMAS a seat at the table "many, many, many times"

News to me.

QUESTION: Different subject, Gaza – on Gaza? Or --

MR. CROWLEY: Yeah, go ahead.

QUESTION: With the Abbas visit today.

MR. CROWLEY: Mm-hmm.

QUESTION: The President pretty much reiterated many of the themes that you spoke at the podium here yesterday about the --

MR. CROWLEY: That’s a good thing. (Laughter.)

QUESTION: Well, you hope.

MR. CROWLEY: It beats the alternative. (Laughter.)

QUESTION: Well, but digging down in the detail of addressing the issue of the blockade, there – our correspondents on the ground are seeing the fact that no raw materials are being let in, no factories are working, no exports are being let out, no jobs. I mean, there’s a long list of things that just aren’t happening.

Yet there is a UN release that came out today that talked about what was – you know, that laid out a bunch of statistics about how humanitarian aid was heading into Gaza and so forth. Yet you had all these things that are essentially not working, so – which raises the question of what real purpose Abbas is serving by being here, given the realities of the governance on the ground and speaking to how the blockade is really going to be lifted if he really doesn’t have the voice, the unified voice of everybody who is in Gaza, namely Hamas.

And that begs – which begs the question, the additional question of if you’re going to try to address trying to alleviate the unsustainable situation that you speak of at the podium, and the President has as well and the Secretary – aren’t you going to have to eventually, really, to abate the unsustainability, bring Hamas to the table?

MR. CROWLEY: Well, we have offered Hamas a spot at the table many, many times if Hamas will agree to very straightforward conditions – recognize Israel, recognize existing agreements, and give up violence against Israel and – those are not complex demands. So where does the responsibility lie for the fact that in the West Bank, you have stability, you have an economy that is growing.

And Jeff, you’re right. The situation in the – in Gaza, there is aid going in that sustains life but does not sustain a viable economy. We recognize that the current situation is unsustainable. We’re committed to try to expand the amount of assistance that goes into Gaza. The President talked to President Abbas about that today. We’ll have follow-up conversations while he is here. We’re talking to international partners and Israel about how to best do that. But at the same time, we continue to recognize that Israel has legitimate security concerns that have to be respected.

But here’s where – there are two stories here. There’s a compelling and urgent humanitarian crisis in Gaza. And there is a growing economy and a stable, relatively stable situation that is improving every day in the West Bank. What is the difference between those two? It’s not the difference of Palestinians live on the West Bank and the difference of Palestinians live in Gaza. It is the nature of the government that is currently ruling in the West Bank and was part of a unified government until Hamas changed the situation on the ground in Gaza.

So let’s put the responsibility where it clearly lies. It is Hamas’s unwilling – I’m not done – it’s Hamas’s unwillingness to come to the table, to be a constructive force, to meet the international community or the Quartet’s clear, straightforward conditions and play a constructive role in the region. That opportunity is available to Hamas. But because Hamas chooses, rather than serving the needs of its people, to fire rockets at Israel, that’s the reason why you have the current situation in Gaza. That situation can change if Hamas is willing to change. But if Hamas is not willing to change, if it remains active as a terrorist organization, then there are consequences for that, too.

QUESTION: So wait a minute. So the --

QUESTION: (Off-mike.)

QUESTION: Wait a minute. So the consequences of not dealing with Hamas, based upon your perception of their current posture, is that all those things I listed earlier that are not going into Gaza that are help – that – I mean, cement to build schools, I mean agriculture products – you’re talking about all these basic things.

MR. CROWLEY: Jeff, and we are working aggressively with Israel to try to expand the range of materials that goes into Gaza. We recognize that there are some things that have not been flowing into Gaza that we think can flow into Gaza without jeopardizing Israel’s security. We’re working with them to try to expand that list.

But the fundamental responsibility as to why you have one situation in the West Bank, because you have – the Palestinian Authority has committed itself to peace and committed itself to serve the needs of its people. And you have another government entity ruling Gaza that has chosen a different and destructive course, and that unfortunately has impact on the people of Gaza.

So, but let’s just put the responsibility where it lies. The responsibility for that dichotomy is about the fundamental nature of Hamas and the choices that it has made over the past few years. And let’s not forget the fact that Hamas has been unwilling to agree and cooperate in a follow-on election that was scheduled for earlier this year, so that – to give the people of Gaza a choice as to the nature of the government that they want to lead them in the years going forward.

So the contrast here is between the Palestinian Authority committed to peace in the region and actively working through proximity talks to reach that point, and a terrorist organization that has taken over Gaza and unfortunately, in the process of doing that, is no longer serving the needs of its people.

QUESTION: But they’re not even running --

QUESTION: (Off-mike.)

QUESTION: They’re not even running --

QUESTION: (Off-mike.)

MR. CROWLEY: Hold on, hold on.

QUESTION: On the $400 million you mentioned, that $400 million is going to the reform and development Palestinian fund, how is that going to be --

QUESTION: Can you give us some specifics on that?

MR. CROWLEY: It’s going to fund specific projects in --

QUESTION: Such as?

MR. CROWLEY: For the Palestinian people, both in the West Bank and in Gaza.

QUESTION: Are they going for security training? Are they going for – what are they going for? Do you have details, specifics?

MR. CROWLEY: I’ve given you what I got....

 

I never thought I could feel sorry for the State Dept. spokesperson, but isn't it mind-boggling to see how this reporter is berating Crowley to buy the pro-Hamas propaganda he's selling? 

Will have to find out who this "Jeff" is.  Maybe Jeff Glor of CBS?