Haniyeh wants truce, not peace
26/02/2006 15:59  - (SA)  

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Gaza City - The Palestinians' incoming prime minister on Sunday said Hamas has no intention of seeking a peace agreement with Israel, distancing himself from a published interview in which he said the militant group was ready for a deal with the Jewish state.

Ismail Haniyeh said Hamas is interested in a long-term truce, but does not seek peace with Israel.

"I did not say anything about recognising Israel," Haniyeh said.

Hamas, which has killed hundreds of Israelis in suicide bombings, is set to form a new Palestinian cabinet in the coming weeks after an upset victory in January parliamentary elections.

It so far has rejected international calls to moderate itself, despite Western threats to cut off hundreds of millions of dollars in aid to the Palestinians.

'Peace in stages'

Haniyeh was quoted by The Washington Post on Saturday as saying Hamas would establish "peace in stages" if Israel would withdraw to its 1967 boundaries - before it captured the West Bank, Gaza Strip and east Jerusalem.

It was the first time Hamas had been quoted as seeking peace with Israel.

Addressing reporters on Sunday, Haniyeh said his comments had been misunderstood.

He said he was not referring to a peace agreement, only a "political truce".

He also laid down a series of demands that Israel has ruled out, including a full withdrawal from all lands captured in 1967, the release of Palestinian prisoners and the return of several million Palestinian refugees and their descendants to Israel.

"Then Hamas can grant a long-term truce," Haniyeh said.

Israel, while accepting the principle of an independent Palestinian state, has said many times that it has no intention of returning to its pre-war borders.

Mistranslated

Haniyeh doesn't speak English, and Hamas spokesperson Sami Abu Zuhri told The Associated Press on Saturday that the prime minister-designate's remarks must have been mistranslated.

Israeli cabinet officials on Sunday warned the international community against being tricked by Hamas' rhetoric, urging world leaders to judge the group by its actions, not words.

Israel says it will refuse to deal with a Hamas government unless the group recognises the Jewish state, disarms and accepts past peace accords with Israel.

Until Hamas meets these conditions "everything else is empty words", said Roni Bar-On.

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