MIDDLE EAST:HAMAS SUPPORTS the creation of a Palestinian state along 1967 borders, the Islamic movement's dominant figure said in an interview yesterday.
The comments drew attention because Hamas is committed to Israel's destruction, yet they imply tacit recognition of the existence of the Jewish state.
In the interview, published in the Palestinian daily Al-Ayam, the Damascus-based Khaled Meshal said that a future Palestinian state will have to be fully sovereign, must include Jerusalem and that any agreement must include the right of return for Palestinian refugees.
Asked about claims that Hamas is bent on Israel's destruction, Mr Meshal said the Islamic movement, which carried out most of the suicide bombings in Israel during the intifada uprising, was committed to a political plan and that it should be judged on this, not on what people may imagine it stands for.
Mr Meshal said he supported the National Reconciliation Document, which is better known as the prisoners' document and was drafted by Fatah and Hamas prisoners in Israeli jails. While the document does not explicitly recognise Israel's right to exist, it does call for the creation of a Palestinian state along 1967 lines.
The Hamas leader said he was in favour of a long-term truce with Israel in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. The Europeans, he said, were facilitating quiet contacts with the aim of reaching a truce, but he accused the US of trying to limit these efforts.
Hamas has been ostracised by the international community since it won elections in January 2006 and subsequently refused to accede to three demands made by Israel and the international community - that it recognise the Jewish state, cease all attacks and acknowledge all previous peace agreements signed with Israel.
Israeli officials played down the significance of Mr Meshal's statements, saying that the Hamas leader's willingness to accept the 1967 borders in exchange for a long-term ceasefire was simply a tactical move and that in the long run the Islamic movement remained dedicated to Israel's destruction.
A truce brokered with Hamas, said Amos Gilad, a senior Defence Ministry official, would be temporary and "on a strategic level their goal is to get rid of Israel".