 Hamas said yesterday it was prepared to consider talks with Israel but vowed not to disarm, two months before the group contests its first Palestinian legislative elections. âNegotiations are not our intention, negotiation is a method,â said Mahmud Zahar, leader of the powerful movement in its Gaza Strip stronghold, in a rare interview with Israeli radio.
| Zahar is probably the next big helizap target. |
âIf the method is able to liberate our land, to liberate our people from Israeli jails, to reconstruct what was destroyed by the long-standing Israeli occupation, at that time we can discuss,â added Zahar, speaking in English. His interview comes just over two months before Hamas is to contest its first parliamentary polls, only the second ever such ballot in the Palestinian territories. Hamas, the most powerful faction in Gaza and the West Bank, is expected to make significant gains, undercutting the decade-long power monopoly exercised by the more moderate Fatah party of Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas. Israel says it will not facilitate the vote as long as Hamas insists on running. But looking ahead, when Hamas will likely take up seats in Parliament and even join a coalition Palestinian Cabinet, Zahar did not rule out talks. |