ISTANBUL - Turkey's President Abdullah Gul has urged the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas to recognise Israel's right to exist, the Wall Street Journal reported on Saturday.
In an interview a day after U.S. President Barack Obama delivered a speech on the Middle East, Gul also hailed Obama's reference to creating a Palestinian state based on Israel's pre-1967 borders as "a very important step".
Turkey has regarded Hamas as a key factor in the Middle East peace process since it won fraudulent Palestinian elections in 2006.
Gul said President Obama "has a point" when he said in his speech that Israel could not be expected to negotiate with a body that does not recognise Israel's right to exist.
| Oh I'm sure Bambi can work around that... |
Asked if he was willing to press Hamas on that issue, Gul said, "I already advised them."
| And they replied...what, exactly? |
In a meeting with Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal in Ankara in 2006, Gul said he told Meshaal, "you have to be rational" about recognising Israel's right to exist.
Gul said he believed Hamas was ready to recognise Israel in its pre-1967 borders but wants that to happen simultaneously with Israel's recognition of a Palestinian state.
| That makes it the two-step plan to kill all the Joooz: first get a Paleo state, then use that to grind down the Israeli state. |
Turkey has demanded that Israel end its blockade of the Gaza strip and its aggressive stance on the Palestinian issue has created tensions between Ankara and Washington.
The paper said Obama's speech was being interpreted by Turkish officials as a significant if nuanced change. |