Hamas official says group will lay down its weapons if two-state solution is implemented
A senior political official for Hamas told The Associated Press that the group is willing to negotiate a five-year or longer ceasefire with Israel and would lay down its arms and turn into a political party if an independent Palestinian state is established first.
Khalil al-Hayya’s comments, made in an interview, came as months-long ceasefire talks have reached an impasse.
Speaking to the AP in Istanbul, Al-Hayya said Hamas wants to join the Palestine Liberation Organization, led by the rival Fatah group, 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 international decisions” along Israel’s pre-1967 borders.
Al-Hayya’s words were interpreted as a call to Israel. The Hamas official said that in such a situation, the group’s military wing would disband.
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