Hamas edges towards Israel recognition

Ramallah: Hamas, facing a crippling international boycott and unable to meet Palestinians' basic needs, is prepared to accept a plan that calls for a Palestinian state alongside Israel, a Hamas official said yesterday - potentially a major concession implying recognition of Israel.

Even if Hamas accepts a two-state solution to the Mideast conflict, it's unlikely it would be able to secure a resumption of Western aid without explicit recognition of Israel.

Asked whether he was prepared to accept a Palestinian state within the borders before the 1967 war, Palestinian Prime Minister Esmail Haniya told reporters: "If Israel recognises a Palestinian state, accepts the right of return of refugees and the release of prisoners, that will be our position."

The plan was negotiated by members from Hamas and Fatah group held in an Israeli prison. The 18-point proposal will be the basis for upcoming talks between Hamas and Fatah, said the Hamas official.

Since taking power in March, Hamas has sent conflicting signals about its willingness to accept the international community's conditions for doing business with it. The West has froze hundreds of millions of dollars in aid payments to the Palestinian National Authority because Hamas has refused to recognise Israel.

The draft agreement was negotiated over the past month by the groups' members held in an Israeli prison, including Abdul Khaliq Natche, the top Hamas member held by Israel, and Marwan Barghouti, the senior Fatah prisoner.

Terms: Key demands of the draft proposal

• The establishment of a Palestinian state "in all the lands occupied in 1967".
• Affirmation of the right of millions of Palestinian refugees to return to homes in what is now Israel and a complete withdrawal from all of the West Bank and east Jerusalem.
• Palestinians have the right to attack Israelis in the West Bank, but Israel itself should be off-limits for bombings.