Post by Murph on Apr 25, 2024 7:25:21 GMT -6
Hamas official says group would lay down its weapons if 2-state solution implemented
Khalil al-Hayya, a top Hamas political official said the Islamic terror group is willing to agree to a truce of five years or more with Israel and that it would lay down its weapons and convert into a political party if an independent Palestinian state is established along pre-1967 borders. The suggestion that Hamas would disarm made in an interview on Wednesday, appeared to be a significant concession by the militant group officially committed to Israel’s destruction.
Al-Hayya, a high-ranking Hamas official who has represented the Palestinian militants in negotiations for a cease-fire and hostage exchange, struck a sometimes defiant and other times conciliatory tone.
Speaking to the AP in Istanbul, Al-Hayya said Hamas wants to join the Palestine Liberation Organization, headed by the rival Fatah faction to form a unified government for Gaza and the West Bank. He said Hamas would accept “a fully sovereign Palestinian state in the West Bank and Gaza Strip and the return of Palestinian refugees in accordance with the international resolutions,” along Israel’s pre-1967 borders. If that happens, he said, the group’s military wing would dissolve.
www.ynetnews.com/article/byrjbvw11c