Obama: Distinctions Between Hamas, Iran

U.S. Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.), the front-runner in the Democratic presidential contest, said the Republican administration's diplomatic isolation of Tehran has made Iran a more-dangerous country, one that could destabilize the region.

"If an unwillingness to talk to Iran would have resulted in a less-dangerous Iran, we would have seen that by now," said Obama during a phone interview in between campaign stops in Pennsylvania, which conducts its primary on April 22.

"All [our approach] has done is caused Iran to dig its heels in deeper," Obama continued, presenting a view that contradicts many in the pro-Israel camp who favor the continued isolation of Iran.

Sen. Barack Obama

The interview came during a two-week stretch in which the Obama campaign made a push for Jewish voters. It held public events featuring prominent Jewish surrogates in Pittsburgh, Allentown and Huntingdon Valley, released a letter signed by nearly 70 Jews urging support for the senator, and courted community leaders in private meetings.

Obama sidestepped a question about what he'd do if Iran does develop nuclear weapons in the near future, as did U.S. Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.) in an earlier interview. Instead, Obama reiterated his assertion that the United States cannot allow such a thing to happen, and that sanctions and diplomacy would be his preferred tools of choice -- though he did not rule out a military option down the line.

Clinton has criticized Obama for stating that he would agree to meet with Iranian leaders during his first year in office. Obama countered that Clinton has unfairly claimed that he pledged to meet with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad without preparations, which he said is not the case.

"But I do believe in direct talks. I think that without direct talks, Iran will continue to pursue the strategies that it has pursued under the Bush administration," he said.

When it comes to our entering into talks with Hamas, Obama has another view.

He declined to comment on reports that former President Jimmy Carter had plans to meet with Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal in Syria. The Republican Jewish Coalition has called on Obama to decline Carter's support as a so-called superdelegate.

"I have been clear that [we] should not deal with Hamas until it renounces terrorism, recognizes Israel's right to exist, and affirms the obligations of Palestinians under previous agreements," said Obama, who has maintained that, unlike Iran's leaders, Hamas does not represent a sovereign nation.

Like Clinton, Obama said that it was a mistake for the Bush administration to step back as a peace broker in Israeli-Palestinian negotiations, and that U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice's recent efforts have been welcome, if belated.

"It seems a bad habit of the U.S. government to really devote the time and energy into the peace process in a president's last year in office, when they have the least political capital," said Obama.

At least since 1988, when President Ronald Reagan opened dialogue with the Palestine Liberation Organization, American presidents have all engaged in late-term Middle East diplomacy.

"We have a commitment to Israel's security that is sacrosanct. But we also have an abiding interest in resolving these differences and creating a two-state solution that allows the two peoples to live side by side in peace and security," said the candidate.

How much leeway should the United States, as a negotiator, afford Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas?

"It is appropriate to make clear to Abbas that we want to encourage a continued relationship with moderate Palestinians," replied Obama. "But there has to be proof that they can follow through on their commitments. That pertains to cracking down on rocket attacks and suicide bombings -- all the other carnage that we have seen in the past."