The refusal of Hamas to recognise Israel could be discussed in the next round of talks between the Islamist group and its rival Fatah, Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas said Monday. “I would wish that Hamas would agree to this,” Fatah chief Abbas told reporters during a visit to Vienna. “Maybe this will be an issue to talk about in our next meeting.” Abbas said that the issue did not come up in what he called his “important” reconciliation talks last week in Cairo with Hamas chief Khaled Meshaal aimed at cementing a stalled unity deal signed six months ago.
“I think these talks were an important step. Of course they did not address all the issues but both sides clarified their positions,” Abbas said through a German-speaking interpreter after talks with Austrian President Heinz Fischer. He said Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip — Fatah runs the West Bank — was ready to accept a Palestinian state within 1967 borders and that resistance would be “peaceful”.
