ISTANBUL (AP) — A most sensible Hamas political reputable advised The Related Press the Islamic militant workforce is keen to conform to a truce of 5 years or extra with Israel and that it might lay down its guns and convert right into a political birthday celebration if an unbiased Palestinian state is established alongside pre-1967 borders.The feedback by way of Khalil al-Hayya in an interview Wednesday got here amid a stalemate in months of cease-fire talks. The recommendation that Hamas would disarm looked to be an important concession by way of the militant workforce formally dedicated to Israel’s destruction. However it’s not likely Israel would believe this type of situation. It has vowed to weigh down Hamas following the fatal Oct. 7 assaults that brought about the struggle, and its present management is adamantly adversarial to the advent of a Palestinian state on lands Israel captured within the 1967 Mideast struggle.
Al-Hayya, a high-ranking Hamas reputable who has represented the Palestinian militants in negotiations for a cease-fire and hostage alternate, struck a every now and then defiant and different instances conciliatory tone.Talking to the AP in Istanbul, Al-Hayya mentioned Hamas needs to sign up for the Palestine Liberation Group, headed by way of the rival Fatah faction, to shape a unified executive for Gaza and the West Financial institution. He mentioned Hamas would settle for “an absolutely sovereign Palestinian state within the West Financial institution and Gaza Strip and the go back of Palestinian refugees in line with the world resolutions,” alongside Israel’s pre-1967 borders.
If that occurs, he mentioned, the crowd’s army wing would dissolve.“All of the stories of people that fought towards occupiers, once they turned into unbiased and bought their rights and their state, what have those forces carried out? They’ve become political events and their protecting combating forces have become the nationwide military,” he mentioned.
Khalil al-Hayya, a high-ranking Hamas reputable who has represented the Palestinian militant workforce in negotiations for a cease-fire and hostage alternate deal, speaks right through an interview with The Related Press, in Istanbul, Turkey, Wednesday, April 24, 2024. (AP Picture/Khalil Hamra)
Over time, Hamas has every now and then moderated its public place with admire to the potential for a Palestinian state along Israel. However its political program nonetheless formally “rejects any selection to the overall liberation of Palestine, from the river to the ocean” — regarding the realm attaining from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea, which contains lands that now make up Israel.
Al-Hayya didn’t say whether or not his obvious embody of a two-state answer would quantity to an finish to the Palestinian battle with Israel or an meantime step towards the crowd’s mentioned function of destroying Israel.There was once no speedy response from Israel or the Palestinian Authority, the the world over known self-ruled executive that Hamas drove out when it seized Gaza in 2007, a 12 months after successful Palestinian parliamentary elections. After the Hamas takeover of Gaza, the Palestinian Authority was once left with administering semi-autonomous wallet of the Israeli-occupied West Financial institution.The Palestinian Authority hopes to ascertain an unbiased state within the West Financial institution, east Jerusalem and Gaza — spaces captured by way of Israel within the 1967 Mideast struggle. Whilst the world group overwhelmingly helps this type of two-state answer, Israeli High Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s hard-line executive rejects it.
The struggle in Gaza has dragged on for almost seven months and cease-fire negotiations have stalled. The struggle started with the fatal Oct. 7 assault on southern Israel wherein Hamas-led militants killed about 1,200 other folks, most commonly civilians. Militants dragged some 250 hostages into the enclave. The following Israeli bombardment and flooring offensive in Gaza has killed greater than 34,000 Palestinians, maximum of them girls and kids, in step with native well being government, and displaced some 80% of Gaza’s inhabitants of two.3 million.
Khalil al-Hayya, a high-ranking Hamas reputable who has represented the Palestinian militant workforce in negotiations for a cease-fire and hostage alternate deal, sits in entrance of a backdrop appearing the previous town of Jerusalem right through an interview with The Related Press, in Istanbul, Turkey, Wednesday, April 24, 2024. (AP Picture/Khalil Hamra)
Israel is now making ready for an offensive within the southern town of Rafah, the place greater than 1 million Palestinians have fled to. Israel says it has dismantled many of the preliminary two dozen Hamas battalions because the get started of the struggle, however that the 4 ultimate ones are holed up in Rafah. Israel argues {that a} Rafah offensive is important to succeed in victory over Hamas.
Al-Hayya mentioned such an offensive would no longer achieve destroying Hamas. He mentioned contacts between the political management outdoor and armed forces management within Gaza are “uninterrupted” by way of the struggle and “contacts, choices and instructions are made in session” between the 2 teams.Israeli forces “have no longer destroyed greater than 20% of (Hamas’) features, neither human nor within the box,” he asserted. “If they are able to’t end (Hamas) off, what’s the answer? The answer is to visit consensus.”In November, a weeklong cease-fire noticed the discharge of greater than 100 hostages in alternate for 1000’s of Palestinian prisoners held in Israel. However talks for a longer-term truce and free up of the remainder hostages at the moment are frozen, with each and every facet accusing the opposite of intransigence. Key interlocutor Qatar has mentioned in contemporary days that it’s enterprise a “reassessment” of its position as mediator.
Maximum of Hamas’ most sensible political officers, prior to now primarily based in Qatar, have left the Gulf nation prior to now week and traveled to Turkey, the place Hamas political chief Ismail Haniyeh met with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Saturday. Al-Hayya denied an enduring transfer of the crowd’s primary political workplace is within the works and mentioned Hamas needs to look Qatar proceed in its capability as mediator within the talks.Israeli and U.S. officers have accused Hamas of no longer being fascinated with a deal.Al-Hayya denied this, announcing Hamas has made concessions in regards to the choice of Palestinian prisoners it needs launched in alternate for the remainder Israeli hostages. He mentioned the crowd does no longer know precisely what number of hostages stay in Gaza and are nonetheless alive. However he mentioned Hamas won’t backtrack from its calls for for an enduring cease-fire and entire withdrawal of Israeli troops, either one of which Israel has balked at. Israel says it’s going to proceed army operations till Hamas is definitively defeated and can retain a safety presence in Gaza afterwards.“If we aren’t confident the struggle will finish, why would I quit the prisoners?” the Hamas chief mentioned of the remainder hostages.
Khalil al-Hayya, a high-ranking Hamas reputable who has represented the Palestinian militant workforce in negotiations for a cease-fire and hostage alternate deal, speaks right through an interview with The Related Press, in Istanbul, Turkey, Wednesday, April 24, 2024. (AP Picture/Khalil Hamra)
Al-Hayya additionally implicitly threatened that Hamas would assault Israeli or different forces who may well be stationed round a floating pier the U.S. is scrambling to construct alongside Gaza’s beach to ship assist by way of sea. “We categorically reject any non-Palestinian presence in Gaza, whether or not at sea or on land, and we can care for any army drive found in those puts, Israeli or in a different way … as an occupying energy,” he mentioned.Al-Hayya mentioned Hamas does no longer feel sorry about the Oct. 7 assaults, regardless of the destruction it has introduced down on Gaza and its other folks. He denied that Hamas militants had centered civilians right through the assaults — regardless of overwhelming proof on the contrary — and mentioned the operation succeeded in its function of bringing the Palestinian factor again to the arena’s consideration.And, he mentioned, Israeli makes an attempt to remove Hamas would in the long run fail to forestall long run Palestinian armed uprisings.“Let’s say that they have got destroyed Hamas. Are the Palestinian other folks long past?” he requested.___AP reporter Khalil Hamra in Istanbul contributed to this file.
