Working link now added, still living in 2008 me :)
An exclusive story in the Guardian reports that sources close to Obama's transition team and advisors are open to the possibility of bringing Hamas into peace negotiations should certain conditions be met. If accurate, this would be a dramatic break with the previous administration's policy of isolation. You can find the story and analysis here
The Guardian's UK edition will lead with this story even though it cites only three unnamed sources close to the transition team. This suggests that it feels fairly confident with this news. These sources suggest that the option of dialogue with Hamas is being seriously advanced by the President-Elect's advisers. This would not initially be direct and official diplomatic contact, but would take the form of low-level channels, perhaps using the security services or clandestine multi-party negotiations. The article refers to a piece by Richard Haass (tipped to be the next Middle East envoy, one hell of a gig) and Martin Indyk (former ambassador to Israel and Clinton adviser) which was argued that Hamas is now an important part of the puzzle of bringing durable peace to the region.
My initial reaction is to be highly cautious of this story; the sources are outside of the transition team, the timetable of this contact seems to be measures in years rather than weeks and the conditions attached may be unachievable in the present poisoned environment. However, there are many reasons also to be hopeful.
Firstly, this would seem to be a logical extension of Obama's doctrine of talking to hostile nations and groups. If the US can achieve its national security aims through dialogue then Vama seems willing to participate. The assumption that diplomacy is the reserve of Schwartzeneggerian 'girly men' would be swept away. Perhaps the US public, having seen the appaling violence wreaked on Gaza over the previous fortnight, are ready to see dialogue as preferable to the isolation/bombing cycle.
Secondly, it shows realism in foreign policy. The isolation of Hamas champions by the Bush administration has had zero returns. Diddly. All it's achieved is to increase the legitimacy of Hamas in Palestine. It's reminiscent of the UK government's refusal to talk to the political wing of the IRA, Sinn Fein, before the 1980s. This position had to be reversed as the UK executive realized that Sinn Fein could not simply be wished away and had to be part of a solution which would be accepted by the Catholic community. Similarly, any deals negotiated with input from all Palestinian factions, including Hamas, will have greater legitimacy.
Finally, this move would change the global approach to I-P. A number of influential states followed the urging of Bush et al to have nothing to do with Hamas. The EU suspended direct aid, and for 3 years there has been a dangerous vacuum in Gaza. Without recognition Hamas's ability to effectively govern Gaza was significantly reduced. This also made it easier for Israel to impose the blockade of Gaza. The upshot was that divisions began to harden between the West Bank and Gaza, threatening to undermine a key plank of an independent united state of Palestine. Hopefully, US contact with Hamas will allow other nations to re-engage and provide assistance to the people of Gaza.
There are a huge number of hurdles to successful and productie engagement between the US and Hamas. This includes Israeli resistance (though Israel's bad misjudgement of international reaction to the ground offensive has weakened its negotiating hand) and Hamas's ability to meet preconditions for talks. This includes leaks like those that have led to this story being published, which will make it harder for Obama to engage if they provoke negative outcry in the MSM in the US. However, it's another thing to add to the cautipusly optimistic list!