France supports Russia's Hamas talk plans; U.S. shifts?

France said Vladimir Putin's proposal to invite Hamas representatives to Russia for talks is a good idea. However, one French diplomat said France itself won't speak to Hamas. Clever.

At least one U.S. official, speaking to the NY Times, indicated a possible shift in the U.S. non-negotiation policy, saying this (my bolding):

"Our position is not to tell the whole world that they can't talk to Hamas," said a senior State Department official, speaking on condition of anonymity. "That would be hard to enforce. The issue is less who's talking than what they are saying."

Since the Palestinian people elected Hamas, an approach like that might be more realistic - have a third party take care of business. This might be a good opportunity for the EU, too. Or at least some sort of troika or gang of seven or some other random number.

Meanwhile, an Isreali official said, "Putin is dancing with wolves." Yeah. That Putin is a crazy horse, living in a field of dreams.

Source: This NY Times article.