Hamas defies pressure to recognize Israel

[shugah]

Hamas defies pressure to recognize Israel

GAZA (Reuters) - Defying international pressure, the militant Islamic group Hamas said on Friday it will never recognize Israel but might be willing to negotiate terms for a temporary truce with the Jewish state.

Khaled Meshaal, the top leader of Hamas which won last week's Palestinian parliamentary election by a landslide, made the offer to Israel via a column titled "To whom it may concern", published in the al-Hayat al-Jadida newspaper.

"We will never recognize the legitimacy of the Zionist state that was established on our land," Meshaal, the Damascus-based head of the political and military wings of the militant Islamic group, wrote in the column.

http://today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=worldNews&storyID=2006-02-03T122634Z_01_L03594679_RTRUKOC_0_US-MIDEAST.xml

[Kagemusha]

1. Note to non Hamas watchers: "temporary" can mean generations

to them, at least. Their founder discussed such a temporary truce before uh, Israel blew him into little pieces a while back.

[channa18]

9. Are you talking about the most famous bloodsucker.......

of the second half of the 20th century Yassin or his equally murderous protege,Rantisi ??

Their idea of "temporary truce" was to kill as many jews he could,as fast as they could and when Israel had enough, then mumble a few words about truce to the western media.

That was a tough game they played....AND THEY LOST....BIG TIME.

Being the head of a terrorist organization like hamas has a really rigid glass ceiling.Shame they didnt figure that out.

[LincolnMcGrath]

2. Israel and the west will continue to protest total innocence on this.

[Chimichurri]

3. Why only pressure on one side?

I haven't heard of any pressure put on Israel to stop it's questionable behavior.

Until both parties are held to standards towards achieving peace, this cycle of violence will never end.
The only beneficiaries of this perpetual unrest are arms dealers.

[MrPrax]

6. Yup...

Can't help to think that if Israel's feet were held to the fire occasionally by the Quartet there would be more incentive for 'peace'--right now negotiations are a little one-sided, where the position of the West is simply collaboration.

Even demanding 'recognition' at this point is insulting as it was probably one of the reasons Hamas won the election in the first place. The PLO has done it all (including tabling the Right of Return) and still the Palestinians got nothing to show for their efforts, except more dead, continued economic genocide and humilation.

[shoelace414]

4. Democracy is on the march!

[The Stranger]

5. Mutual recognition?

Why not that?

[eyl]

8. Maybe because Israel already

recognizes the PA?

[Coastie for Truth]

7. Maybe they won't recognize Israel because

Hamas can look to it pseudo Progressive and Progressive wannabe facilitators and enablers for support.