A member of the Hamas Political Bureau, Ezzat Al-Resheq, has denied claims made in an Egyptian newspaper that Khaled Meshaal said, “Hamas is willing, in principle, to have negotiations with Israel”. The quote in Al-Masry al-Yawm was apparently taken from Meshaal’s interview with US magazine Foreign Policy.
According to Al-Resheq’s Facebook page on Thursday, “Meshaal’s interview with the American magazine did not include such fabrications.”
In the interview with Meshaal said that the most important condition for the resistance to succeed is the balance of power, noting that attempting to engage in negotiations with the Israelis without the proper power would turn negotiations into a form of begging.
The Bureau chief said that the differences between Hamas and Fatah regarding the means of facing Israel are fewer than ever before. He added that armed resistance is an integral part of the movement’s principles and that it is a means to an end, not a goal in itself. He expressed his support for peaceful means to bring the occupation to an end.