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07.04.2006, 12:37
This is very interesting news... first time
Hamas says ready for two-state solution
By Ze'ev Schiff, Haaretz Correspondent, and Agencies
Hamas is ready for a two-state solution with Israel, a senior official said Friday, a position that would imply the militant group's recognition of Israel for the first time. The announcement came as Hamas has been sending go-betweens to Israel recently with an offer to reach an unofficial understanding on "quiet in return for quiet."
The senior Palestinian official said Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh planned to present a proposal to Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas in a meeting later Friday. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because the proposal has not yet been submitted.
Palestinian Foreign Minister Mahmoud Zahar plans to present the "two-state" platform to the cabinet at its next meeting on Monday, the official said, adding that he expects it to be approved.
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The official said Hamas is prepared to soften its position because of heavy international pressure, which has left the Palestinian government broke, and to enable Abbas to pursue his goal of restarting peace talks with Israel. Hamas is under pressure to renounce violence and recognize Israel.
In return, Hamas wants Abbas to grant the group its "constitutional rights." Abbas has taken steps recently to curb Hamas' power in security matters.
In an interview published Friday, Zahar said his government is prepared to discuss the idea of a settlement with Israel with the Quartet of international Mideast negotiators - the United States, European Union, Russia and United Nations.
"Let us speak about what is the meaning of the two-state solution," he told The Times of London. "We will ask them what is their concept concerning the two-state solution."
Foreign Ministry spokesman Mark Regev dismissed the latest Hamas gestures as "verbal gymnastics."
He repeated Israel's demands that Hamas renounce violence, recognize Israel and accept previous peace agreements, and noted that the international community has accepted the Israeli position.
"I see no indication that Hamas is moving to accept the international
community's benchmarks," he said. "They have no one but themselves to blame for this situation."
Israel: Hamas proposal of quiet is a 'trick'
According to the Hamas proposal of quiet - which was conveyed to Israel by Egyptian envoys, among other channels - Hamas would pledge not to carry out any violent actions against Israel and would even prevent other Palestinian organizations from doing so. Israel, for its part, would pledge by means of a third party not to take action against the organizations operating in the territories.
Hamas is even prepared to declare a unilateral hudna (cease-fire), should Israel not want to appear to be maintaining contact with a body that calls for its destruction. According to this offer, Israel is supposed to respond with positive measures of its own.
But political and defense officials in Israel describe the initiative as a "trick."
To read the full story, click here.
The Israeli officials say the quiet proposed by Hamas will be temporary, and Hamas people will consider themselves free to suspend it any time they like. Since the Oslo Accords were signed in 1993, Hamas has made Israel some 10 offers to declare a cease-fire, usually when the organization was in need of "a breather" to reorganize its ranks. The last time Hamas came out with a declaration of this sort was after a June 2001 suicide bombing in Tel Aviv, but it was violated a short while later. Israel has previously rejected such offers outright.
Unlike previous proposals, this time Hamas is not demanding that Israel withdraw to the 1967 border and release all Palestinians jailed in Israel as a condition for the cease-fire. Hamas is under internal and international pressure, and therefore is trying to achieve quiet in its fight against Israel in order to get organized, strengthen its military and organizational frameworks, and sideline the Palestinian opposition. This would enable the new Hamas-led government to fortify its control over Palestinian Authority territories.
Israel will apparently refrain from reaching understandings with Hamas so as not to play into its hands at this point, before Hamas has met the conditions posed by the international community: not just disavowing violence, but also recognizing Israel and adopting all agreements signed with Israel in the past.
lets follow this news... it will be very interesting if it will work out and even if there is a chance for peace in the middle east!
Hamas says ready for two-state solution
By Ze'ev Schiff, Haaretz Correspondent, and Agencies
Hamas is ready for a two-state solution with Israel, a senior official said Friday, a position that would imply the militant group's recognition of Israel for the first time. The announcement came as Hamas has been sending go-betweens to Israel recently with an offer to reach an unofficial understanding on "quiet in return for quiet."
The senior Palestinian official said Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh planned to present a proposal to Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas in a meeting later Friday. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because the proposal has not yet been submitted.
Palestinian Foreign Minister Mahmoud Zahar plans to present the "two-state" platform to the cabinet at its next meeting on Monday, the official said, adding that he expects it to be approved.
Advertisement
The official said Hamas is prepared to soften its position because of heavy international pressure, which has left the Palestinian government broke, and to enable Abbas to pursue his goal of restarting peace talks with Israel. Hamas is under pressure to renounce violence and recognize Israel.
In return, Hamas wants Abbas to grant the group its "constitutional rights." Abbas has taken steps recently to curb Hamas' power in security matters.
In an interview published Friday, Zahar said his government is prepared to discuss the idea of a settlement with Israel with the Quartet of international Mideast negotiators - the United States, European Union, Russia and United Nations.
"Let us speak about what is the meaning of the two-state solution," he told The Times of London. "We will ask them what is their concept concerning the two-state solution."
Foreign Ministry spokesman Mark Regev dismissed the latest Hamas gestures as "verbal gymnastics."
He repeated Israel's demands that Hamas renounce violence, recognize Israel and accept previous peace agreements, and noted that the international community has accepted the Israeli position.
"I see no indication that Hamas is moving to accept the international
community's benchmarks," he said. "They have no one but themselves to blame for this situation."
Israel: Hamas proposal of quiet is a 'trick'
According to the Hamas proposal of quiet - which was conveyed to Israel by Egyptian envoys, among other channels - Hamas would pledge not to carry out any violent actions against Israel and would even prevent other Palestinian organizations from doing so. Israel, for its part, would pledge by means of a third party not to take action against the organizations operating in the territories.
Hamas is even prepared to declare a unilateral hudna (cease-fire), should Israel not want to appear to be maintaining contact with a body that calls for its destruction. According to this offer, Israel is supposed to respond with positive measures of its own.
But political and defense officials in Israel describe the initiative as a "trick."
To read the full story, click here.
The Israeli officials say the quiet proposed by Hamas will be temporary, and Hamas people will consider themselves free to suspend it any time they like. Since the Oslo Accords were signed in 1993, Hamas has made Israel some 10 offers to declare a cease-fire, usually when the organization was in need of "a breather" to reorganize its ranks. The last time Hamas came out with a declaration of this sort was after a June 2001 suicide bombing in Tel Aviv, but it was violated a short while later. Israel has previously rejected such offers outright.
Unlike previous proposals, this time Hamas is not demanding that Israel withdraw to the 1967 border and release all Palestinians jailed in Israel as a condition for the cease-fire. Hamas is under internal and international pressure, and therefore is trying to achieve quiet in its fight against Israel in order to get organized, strengthen its military and organizational frameworks, and sideline the Palestinian opposition. This would enable the new Hamas-led government to fortify its control over Palestinian Authority territories.
Israel will apparently refrain from reaching understandings with Hamas so as not to play into its hands at this point, before Hamas has met the conditions posed by the international community: not just disavowing violence, but also recognizing Israel and adopting all agreements signed with Israel in the past.
lets follow this news... it will be very interesting if it will work out and even if there is a chance for peace in the middle east!