Sitting with people like Hamas, he went on, when “you know what they’ve done, it’s hard not to think of it.”

However, that was not “the most productive” approach, he said. “The most productive [approach] is to realize that every piece of a person is a human and to identify with the human elements of those people and then build from there.

But it definitely feels a little odd knowing what they really are.”

Asked if he’d meet Hamas officials again, Boehler responded, “You never know. Sometimes you’re in the area, and you drop by.”

Why so blasé? Is there a method to this madness...