Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, whose peacemaking policies were rejected by Hamas Islamists after they won elections, said he believed a peace deal with Israel could still be achieved in less than a year. In an interview with Israel's Haaretz newspaper published on Friday, Abbas said he had proposed secret talks with the United States and former Israeli prime minister Shimon Peres, who has spearheaded peace efforts in the past. "I am convinced that within less than a year, we will be able to sign an agreement," said Abbas.
But Abbas' ability to negotiate a peace deal is in doubt, both because of Hamas' election victory and Israel's reluctance to deal with the Palestinian president. "I can promise that you have a partner for this peace. On the day after the elections you will find us ready to sit in negotiations with no prior conditions," Abbas said.