3 weeks ago
- Hamas has offered a five-year truce pinch Israel, proposing disarmament for a Palestinian authorities connected pre-1967 borders.
- Khalil al-Hayya suggested Hamas joining nan Palestine Liberation Organization to shape a unified authorities for Gaza and nan West Bank.
- Hamas still officially rejects immoderate replacement to nan "full liberation of Palestine."
A apical Hamas governmental charismatic told The Associated Press nan Islamic militant group is consenting to work together to a truce of 5 years aliases much with Israel and that it would laic down its weapons and person into a governmental statement if an independent Palestinian authorities is established on pre-1967 borders.
The comments by Khalil al-Hayya successful an question and reply Wednesday came amid a stalemate successful months of talks for a cease-fire successful Gaza. The proposal that Hamas would disarm appeared to beryllium a important concession by nan militant group officially committed to Israel’s destruction.
But it's improbable Israel would see specified a scenario. It has vowed to crush Hamas pursuing nan deadly Oct. 7 attacks that triggered nan war, and its existent activity is adamantly opposed to nan creation of a Palestinian authorities connected lands Israel captured successful nan 1967 Mideast war.
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Al-Hayya, a high-ranking Hamas charismatic who has represented nan Palestinian militants successful negotiations for a cease-fire and hostage exchange, struck a sometimes defiant and different times conciliatory tone.
Khalil al-Hayya, a high-ranking Hamas charismatic who has represented nan Palestinian militant group successful negotiations for a cease-fire and hostage speech deal, speaks during an question and reply successful Istanbul, Turkey, connected April 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra)
Speaking to nan AP successful Istanbul, Al-Hayya said Hamas wants to subordinate nan Palestine Liberation Organization, headed by nan rival Fatah faction, to shape a unified authorities for Gaza and nan West Bank. He said Hamas would judge "a afloat sovereign Palestinian authorities successful nan West Bank and Gaza Strip and nan return of Palestinian refugees successful accordance pinch nan world resolutions," on Israel’s pre-1967 borders.
If that happens, he said, nan group's subject helping would dissolve.
"All nan experiences of group who fought against occupiers, erstwhile they became independent and obtained their authorities and their state, what person these forces done? They person turned into governmental parties and their defending fighting forces person turned into nan nationalist army," he said.
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Over nan years, Hamas has sometimes moderated its nationalist position pinch respect to nan anticipation of a Palestinian authorities alongside Israel. But its governmental programme still officially "rejects immoderate replacement to nan afloat liberation of Palestine, from nan stream to nan sea" — referring to nan area reaching from nan Jordan River to nan Mediterranean Sea, which includes lands that now dress up Israel.
Al-Hayya did not opportunity whether his evident clasp of a two-state solution would magnitude to an extremity to nan Palestinian conflict pinch Israel aliases an interim measurement toward nan group’s stated extremity of destroying Israel.
There was nary contiguous guidance from Israel aliases nan Palestinian Authority, nan internationally recognized self-ruled authorities that Hamas drove retired erstwhile it seized Gaza successful 2007, a twelvemonth aft winning Palestinian parliamentary elections. After nan Hamas takeover of Gaza, nan Palestinian Authority was near pinch administering semi-autonomous pockets of nan Israeli-occupied West Bank.
The Palestinian Authority hopes to found an independent authorities successful nan West Bank, eastbound Jerusalem and Gaza — areas captured by Israel successful nan 1967 Mideast war. While nan world organization overwhelmingly supports specified a two-state solution, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s hard-line authorities rejects it.
The war successful Gaza has dragged connected for astir 7 months and cease-fire negotiations person stalled. The warfare began pinch nan deadly Oct. h Hamas-led militants killed astir 1,200 people, mostly civilians. Militants dragged immoderate 250 hostages into nan enclave. The ensuing Israeli bombardment and crushed violative successful Gaza has killed much than 34,000 Palestinians, astir of them women and children, according to section wellness authorities, and displaced immoderate 80% of Gaza's organization of 2.3 million.
Israel is now preparing for an violative successful nan confederate metropolis of Rafah, wherever much than 1 cardinal Palestinians person fled to.
Israel says it has dismantled astir of nan first 2 twelve Hamas battalions since nan commencement of nan war, but that nan 4 remaining ones are holed up successful Rafah. Israel argues that a Rafah violative is basal to execute triumph complete Hamas.
Al-Hayya said specified an violative would not win successful destroying Hamas. He said contacts betwixt nan governmental activity extracurricular and subject activity wrong Gaza are "uninterrupted" by nan warfare and "contacts, decisions and directions are made successful consultation" betwixt nan 2 groups.
Israeli forces "have not destroyed much than 20% of (Hamas’) capabilities, neither quality nor successful nan field," he asserted. "If they can’t decorativeness (Hamas) off, what is nan solution? The solution is to spell to consensus."
In November, a weeklong cease-fire saw nan merchandise of much than 100 hostages successful speech for 240 Palestinian prisoners held successful Israel. But talks for a longer-term truce and merchandise of nan remaining hostages are now frozen, pinch each broadside accusing nan different of intransigence. Key interlocutor Qatar has said successful caller days that it is undertaking a "reassessment" of its domiciled arsenic mediator.
Most of Hamas’ apical governmental officials, antecedently based successful Qatar, person near nan Gulf state successful nan past week and traveled to Turkey, wherever Hamas governmental leader Ismail Haniyeh met pinch Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan connected Saturday. Al-Hayya denied a imperishable move of nan group’s main governmental agency is successful nan useful and said Hamas wants to spot Qatar proceed successful its capacity arsenic mediator successful nan talks.
Israeli and U.S. officials person accused Hamas of not being superior astir a deal.
Al-Hayya denied this, saying Hamas has made concessions regarding nan number of Palestinian prisoners it wants released successful speech for nan remaining Israeli hostages. He said nan group does not cognize precisely really galore hostages stay successful Gaza and are still alive.
But he said Hamas will not backmost down from its demands for a imperishable cease-fire and afloat withdrawal of Israeli troops, some of which Israel has balked at. Israel says it will proceed subject operations until Hamas is definitively defeated and will clasp a information beingness successful Gaza afterwards.
"If we are not assured nan warfare will end, why would I manus complete nan prisoners?" nan Hamas leader said of nan remaining hostages.
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Al-Hayya besides implicitly threatened that Hamas would onslaught Israeli aliases different forces who mightiness beryllium stationed astir a floating pier the U.S. is scrambling to build on Gaza's coastline to present assistance by sea.
"We categorically cull immoderate non-Palestinian beingness successful Gaza, whether astatine oversea aliases connected land, and we will woody pinch immoderate subject unit coming successful these places, Israeli aliases different … arsenic an occupying power," he said.
Al-Hayya said Hamas does not regret nan Oct. 7 attacks, contempt nan demolition it has brought down connected Gaza and its people. He denied that Hamas militants had targeted civilians during nan attacks — contempt overwhelming grounds to nan contrary — and said nan cognition succeeded successful its extremity of bringing nan Palestinian rumor backmost to nan world’s attention.
And, he said, Israeli attempts to eliminate Hamas would yet neglect to forestall early Palestinian equipped uprisings.
"Let’s opportunity that they person destroyed Hamas. Are nan Palestinian group gone?" he asked.
