By IINA,
Damascus : Hamas has said it is ready to accept a Palestinian State within the 1967 borders but “will not recognize Israel”. Speaking at a news conference here yesterday, Khaled Meshaal, the exiled Hamas political leader, reaffirmed Hamas’s stance towards Israel and clarified his comments as relayed earlier by Jimmy Carter, the former US president. “We accept a state on the June 4 line with Jerusalem as capital, real sovereignty and full right of return for refugees but without recognizing Israel,” Meshaal said.
The Hamas leader was making his first public comments following two meetings with Carter in Damascus last week. Hamas has said it is ready to accept a Palestinian state within the 1967 borders but “will not recognize Israel”. Speaking at a news conference yesterday, Khaled Meshaal, the exiled Hamas political leader, reaffirmed Hamas’s stance towards Israel and clarified his comments as relayed earlier by Jimmy Carter, the former US president. “We accept a state on the June 4 line with Jerusalem as capital, real sovereignty and full right of return for refugees but without recognizing Israel,” Meshaal said. The Hamas leader was making his first public comments following two meetings with Carter in Damascus last week.
Hamas says frankly – we will not recognize the right of Israel,” he said. “Israel until now has no clear position on recognizing the rights of the Palestinian people within the 1967 borders or the right of return or the rights in Jerusalem.” He also said that a ceasefire with Israel was possible. “Many times Hamas has stopped firing missiles from Gaza but Israel continues its aggression against our people, especially in Gaza,” he told Al Jazeera. “If Israel stops all military aggression against our people, I think Hamas will have no problem in reaching a compromise.”