Recognition of Israel’s legitimacy: Hamas leader says misconstrued media report
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Senior Hamas official Mousa Abu Marzouk rejected a media report of him suggesting the group is considering the recognition of the legitimacy of Israel as a country.
In a series of tweets, Abu Marzouk claimed there was a "misunderstanding of media statements" and emphasized that "Hamas does not recognize the legitimacy of the Israeli occupation."
The controversy arose after Abu Marzouk's interview with Al-Monitor, where he seemed to suggest that Hamas could consider recognizing Israel as a step toward Palestinian unity.
However, in his latest statements, he insisted that certain points and phrases from the interview were distorted and did not accurately represent his position or the stance of the movement.
Hamas politburo chief Ismail Haniyeh also weighed in on the matter, expressing openness to talks for ending the ongoing conflict and "putting the Palestinian house in order." Haniyeh hinted at a potential "political path" that could secure the rights of the Palestinian people to an independent state with Jerusalem as its capital.
It's worth noting that Hamas has historically sought Israel's destruction and has vowed to continue its resistance until it achieves this goal.
The group is not part of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), which governs the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank and recognized Israel as part of the Oslo Accords in the 1990s.