phyllis bennett focuses on the middle east and she also advises several u.n. officials. phyllis, welcome. >> thank you. >> how does israel negotiate with the palestinians when hamas doesn't even recognize israel? >> well, first of all, you negotiate with governmental officials, not credit political parties. we don't make demands of political parties, we make demands of government and governing agencies. fm israelis were serious about negotiations, which i don't believe they are. if they were, they would want, they would dland that owners demand that everybody be at the table because negotiations are not serious. this is not israel's business or the united states's business to determine who speaks for the palestinians. when the palestinians can speak with one voice, that's a much more important reality for palestinians themselves, to make that decision. >> the reality is, though, that the palestinians are speaking with a voice of hamas now. and i go back to the question: i don't understand how it's possible to negotiate with a group that doesn't recognize that israel exist