Hamas and the U.S.

Here's the new view of the Palestinian crisis bubbling out of quarters in Washington:

Hamas took Gaza by the gun. So let them have it. And pour resources into the West Bank, where more moderate Palestinians around Mahmoud Abbas remain in charge. Let the West Bank bloom. Let Gaza whither. And then let Palestinians choose.

Longtime Hamas and Hezbollah watcher Augustus Richard Norton calls that a fantasy. Hamas, he says, must be engaged. Even now. Critics say that ignores a titanic struggle already playing out in the Middle East.

This hour On Point: what to do about Hamas.

Guests:

Augustus Richard Norton, Professor of International Relations and Anthropology at Boston UniversityMeyrav Wurmser, Director of the Center for Middle East Policy at Hudson Institute