Hamas Denies It Will Recognize Israel

The denial was prompted by Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas saying that a unity government led by him would satisfy Israeli-U.S. demands for Hamas to renounce its agenda of the destruction of Israel.

Statements to that effect were also attributed to Hamas spokesman Taher Nunu by The Washington Post.

“What I was quoted as telling the American paper is wrong, and I unequivocally deny it,” Nunu told the Palestinian Qudsnet news agency. “The issue of Hamas recognizing Israel is a complete nonstarter… aimed primarily at weakening the movement’s positions on Israel.”

Nunu said he would seek to sue the Post for its “false report.”

Similarly, Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri ruled out any change of heart. But he did indicate that Hamas would not interfere with negotiations with Israel. “Negotiations are the task of the PLO; the government has no part in them,” Abu Zuhri said.

Meanwhile, the Americans are still holding out hope that there will be life in the peace talks after the Palestinian reconciliation.

President Barack Obama said on Friday that the Palestinian move might mean that a “pause” would be needed in the talks. Though he called it one of a series of choices the two sides had made in recent weeks that had hurt chances of achieving peace, Obama offered hope the two sides might overcome their mutual mistrust.

The U.S. State Department said Secretary of State John Kerry believes the peace effort is in a holding pattern, and it is up to Israel and the Palestinians to decide what to do next.

“This will probably slow things down, but it will resume at some point,” Aaron David Miller, a former U.S. State Department peace negotiator now at the Wilson Center in Washington, told Reuters.

“There is no need for the United States to walk away from this, and it would be stupid, frankly,” he said.

The Hamas denial was issued shortly after Finance Minister Yair Lapid told Army Radio Sunday morning that “if Hamas accepts the terms of the international community, the situation will change from our point of view,” he said.

The terms of the international community require that Hamas recognize Israel, renounce terrorism and recognize past agreements between the PLO and Israel.

Lapid also explained why he didn’t quit the government following the suspension of peace negotiations, as he said he would do just a day before it happened.

“Hamas will not determine whether Yesh Atid remains in the coalition or not,” he said, apparently meaning to say that his threat applied only to a collapse of talks caused by Israel.

The European Union seemed disposed to accept the Palestinian unity government, as EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton said the EU has “consistently supported intra-Palestinian reconciliation…and welcomes the prospect of genuine democratic elections for all Palestinians. The fact that Abbas will remain fully in charge of the negotiation process and have a mandate to negotiate in the name of all Palestinians provides further assurance that the peace negotiations can and must proceed,” she said.

Ashton noted, however, that any new Palestinian government must uphold the principle of non-violence, remain committed to a two-state solution and accept Israel’s “legitimate right to exist.”

This article appeared in print on page 7 of the April 28th, 2014 edition of Hamodia.