Hamas is red herring.

More than 30 years ago, retired Israeli general Matti Peled was asked how he could possibly advocate negotiations with a "terrorist" PLO sworn to Israel's destruction. (It actually called for a secular state in all of Palestine with equal rights for all but rejected Israel's Orwellian-named "Law of Return.")

"I used to belong to an organization (Palmach) the British also called terrorists," Peled replied "Israel refuses to talk to the PLO not because they are terrorists but because it would then have to seriously negotiate the return of the ('67) Occupied Territories".

Change "PLO' to "Hamas" and this applies today.