Posted on 04/21/2008 11:33:59 PM PDT by Red Steel
Hamas has said it is ready to accept a Palestinian state within the 1967 borders but "will not recognise Israel".
Speaking at a news conference on Monday, 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 recognising Israel," Meshaal said.
The Hamas leader was making his first public comments following two meetings with Carter in Damascus last week.
Carter, speaking in Jerusalem earlier on Monday, said that Hamas had told him it would accept the right of Israel "to live as a neighbour" if a peace deal was approved by a Palestinian referendum.
Carter said Hamas leaders had told him they would "accept a Palestinian state on the 1967 borders if approved by Palestinians".
But Carter also said Meshaal turned down his appeal for a unilateral ceasefire with Israel to end violence threatening peace efforts.
"I did the best I could on that," Carter said of his failure to persuade Hamas to halt rocket fire for one month from the Gaza Strip it has controlled since June when it ousted the Fatah movement of Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian president.
US dismisses comments
The United States brushed off Carter's report on Hamas on Monday, saying the group's basic stance had not changed.
"What is clear to us ... is that nothing has changed in terms of Hamas's basic views about Israel and about peace in the region," Tom Casey, the state department spokesman, said.
"They still refuse to acknowledge or recognise any of the basic quartet principles, including recognising Israel's right to exist; renouncing terrorism; and acknowledging all the previous agreements that have been made between the Palestinian Authority and Israel," he added.
Dana Perino, the White House press secretary, said the Hamas position should be taken "with a grain of salt".
"We have to look at the public comments and we also have to look at actions, and actions speak louder than words."
Referendum
Carter said his understandings with Hamas called for a referendum to be preceded by reconciliation between the group and Abbas's Fatah faction.
In his news conference, Meshaal said Hamas would "respect Palestinian national will, even if it was against our convictions".
Sami Abu Zuhri, a Gaza-based Hamas official, said Palestinian refugees living in exile must take part in a referendum - a condition that could dim the chances of approval since Israel opposes their mass return, which could skew the state's ethnic make up.
Ghazi Hamad, a former Palestinian government spokesman, told Al Jazeera that Hamas would be willing to accept a Palestinian state within the 1967 borders (leaving a reduced Israeli state inside its 1948 borders) but insisted that Hamas would not recognise Israel.
"Hamas says frankly - we will not recognise the right of Israel," he said.
"Israel until now has no clear position on recognising 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."
Carter criticised
Carter's meeting with Hamas has drawn criticism from both the Israeli and US administrations.
Ehud Olmert, the Israeli prime minister, has refused to see Carter, who has for years been critical of Israeli policy towards the Palestinians.
Carter, who helped negotiate a 1979 peace treaty between Israel and Egypt, said excluding Hamas is "just not working".
"The problem is that Israel and the United States refuse to meet with these people, who must be involved," he said.
“We accept a state on the June 4 line with Jerusalem as capital, real sovereignty and full right of return for refugees but without recognising Israel,” Meshaal said.
Wow. Carter sure is a gifted negotiator. Thats the same demands Hamas has always made. Mission Accomplished by peace maker Jimmah. By all means, give the man another Nobel prize.
Needless to say Hamas can say anything it want it doesn’t mean they will honor it.
I want to know who paid for this little cross country terrorist papalooza?
I think he is just campaigning for the “Peace Prize”... on the American dime.
> I want to know who paid for this little cross country terrorist papalooza?
You already *know* the answer to that one. You know that Jimmah didn’t pay for it. Deep down in your heart you know. Somehow, once you strip away all the “Tax free” “Foundation” nonsense, you just *know* that you paid for it, out of what should be US Treasury funds.
> I think he is just campaigning for the “Peace Prize”... on the American dime.
Some of the greatest unhanged villains of all time are either Nobel Peace Prize winners, or Time Magazine Man of the Year, or recipients of Her Majesty’s Honors or Knighthoods. Therefore, one is known by the company one keeps.
The surefire way to put the kibosh on this year’s Nobel Peace Prize would be to arrest Carter at the border for violating the Logan Act.
Nothing less than declaration of intent to war as soon as they figure they have all their pieces in place.
If Israel up and left all the land for them they still would not rest or be satisfied until they covered and claimed the whole planet and every last Jew was dead.
This is their ideology, their holy mission, their sacred duty, their highest calling.
A wonderful farce. Carter the arrogant non peace maker,
hero of the euro trash. Is he an appeaser or traitor?
Certainly a hero of the global left.
Carter the AntiChrist out making peace with Israel’s enemies again....What an arrogant elitest POS. Appoints himself the authority in the Middle East.....when he is the dumbest asshole that ever lived.
“I did the best I could on that,” Carter said of his failure to persuade
Ladies and Gentlemen, proof positive that history repeats
he also did the best that he could and failed with the communists.
that should be hammered into his tombstone...
Three decades later, same deal. Gosh, with negotiation like that, someone could one day become president!
Tip: Next time, don’t meet with them unless they’ll publicly declare recognition of Israel, Mr. Carter. Otherwise, well, gosh, you look like the idiot you are.
Is Jimmy Carter planning a commemoration of the 70th anniversary of Munich?
This is nothing new.
No wonder they summoned Carter to “negotiate” with.
Wow, what a deal. Thanks Jimmah Cahter, you're such a negotiator. Now go burn in hell with your god, allah.
They even announce it -in plain English- That this is their ultimate goal, but, for some reason the UN refuses to condemn these Arab (not Palestinian, no such thing!) Jew hating terrorists from the surrounding, so called 'nations' created by the British pen after the defeat of the Ottoman empire.
In truth, that land never was "Arab" land, it always belonged to the Jews/Christians. In fact "Mohammad" had no land at all when he invented the sick, demented band of robbers, rapists and murderers which became known as "Muslims" whose diety was a rock idol once worshiped by the pagan Arabs -a once peaceful people- who were mass murdered by the jealous and vengful Mohammad and his band of cut throat murderers, an act "blessed and made righteous" by their rock god Al-lah. (formerly known as Ar- Rahman according to the teachings of mad Mo-hammad.)
It's amazing that the so called "world body", the UN, which is inhabited by the best people nations of the world can put forth to this world body collective, can even recognise this insane, evil barbaric cult of Jew and Christian hating murders, and even consider their obvious hatred as a legitamite claim. Just imagine how quickly peace could be had if only this evil entity called the Un were replaced by a collective of truth.
Even worse-- All Muslims are called upon to emulate the life of this false prophet. They claim he lead the perfect life
I'm Jewish but Jesus Christ is valid and divine savior for Christians. Muhammad has no validity is only a charlatan elevated to human-demigod by superstitious Muslim masses
And you too my brother. But I respect your choice, It is God's will and has a divine purpose, it was meant to be this way.
Divine purpose indeed! THanks
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