Israeli lawmaker floats idea of talks with Hamas

Occupied Jerusalem: A senior opposition leader in Israel unveiled a peace plan on Sunday that held out the possibility of negotiations with Hamas, the Palestinian group in control of the Gaza Strip.

Shaul Mofaz, a former defence chief who is now number two in the centrist Kadima party, raised the prospect of talks with Hamas — an idea rejected by both Israel and Hamas for years — to restart the long-stalled peace process with the Palestinians.

Israel and Western powers have said in the past they would engage Hamas if it agreed to recognise Israel, renounce violence and accept interim peace deals, terms Hamas refuses to accept.

While still saying that Hamas must accept the West's demands, Mofaz said that if it won Palestinian elections in January, "I think that Israel must sit with a group that changes its agenda and the way it conducts business."

His call dominated Israeli headlines and talk shows on Sunday.