Hamas hints at long-term truce in return for ’67 borders
…Hamas leader Mahmoud Zahar told CNN on Monday that a long-term truce (hudna) with Israel is possible if Israel retreats to its pre-1967 borders and releases Palestinian prisoners.
“We can expect to establish our independent state on the area before ’67 and we can give a long-term hudna,” Zahar told CNN’s Wolf Blitzer.
Zahar laid out a series of conditions that he said could lead to years of co-existence alongside Israel. He said that if Israel “is ready to give us the national demand to withdraw from the occupied area [in] ’67; to release our detainees; to stop their aggression; to make geographic link between Gaza Strip and West Bank, at that time, with assurance from other sides, we are going to accept to establish our independent state at that time, and give us one or two, 10, 15 years time in order to see what is the real intention of Israel after that.”
Asked about Hamas’ call for Israel’s destruction, Zahar would not say whether that remains the goal. “We are not speaking about the future, we are speaking now,” he said.
Zahar argued that Israel has no true intention of accepting a Palestinian state, despite international agreements including the Road Map for Middle East peace.
Until Israel says what its final borders will be, Hamas will not say whether it will ever recognize Israel, Zahar said. “If Israel is ready to tell the people what is the official border, after that we are going to answer this question.”
Asked whether Hamas would renounce terrorism, Zahar argued that the definition of terrorism is unfair.
Israel is “killing people and children and removing our agricultural system – this is terrorism,” he said. “When the Americans [are] attacking the Arab and Islamic world whether in Afghanistan and Iraq and they are playing a dirty game in Lebanon, this is terrorism.” He described Hamas as a “liberating movement.”
haaretz.com
Amr Moussa relaunches Beirut initiative for Middle East peace
DAVOS, Switzerland – The Arab League will move as quickly as possible to help raise funds for the Palestinian Authority, Secretary General Amr Moussa told Haaretz over the weekend.
Moussa said the Palestinian economic situation was one of the most important topics and had to be dealt with promptly.
He also called on the parties to return to the initiative introduced at the 2002 Arab League summit in Beirut, as a means of advancing the peace process. The Beirut initiative includes recognition of Israel alongside implementation of UN resolutions 242 and 338, which from an Arab perspective means a full withdrawal from the territories.
“Every Arab government must commit itself to the Beirut initiative that was approved by all the parties except Ariel Sharon,” Moussa said during discussions at the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum.
“The initiative is based on peace with Israel and states that the time has come to turn over a new page and end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The Arab community will have to get everyone to accept the Arab peace initiative.”
Senators Back Bush’s Stance on Hamas
WASHINGTON — Senior lawmakers from both parties Sunday threw their support behind President Bush’s pledge to withhold aid to the Palestinian Authority until the militant Islamic group Hamas renounces terrorism and its commitment to the destruction of Israel.