Hamas will accept a Palestinian state in the West Bank and Gaza Strip and a long-term truce with Israel, a top official said Friday. Sheikh Hassan Yousef, a senior Hamas official in the West Bank, told The Associated Press he sees a truce in which Israel and a Palestinian state "live side-by-side in peace and security for a certain period."
"Hamas has announced that it accepts a Palestinian independent state within the 1967 borders with a long-term truce," Yousef added.
Palestinian Foreign Minister Nabil Shaath welcomed these comments and said the movement informed the Palestinian Authority of its new policy during recent talks.
According to Yousef, Hamas position was new, calling it a "stage." "For us a truce means that two warring parties live side-by-side in peace and security for a certain period and this period is eligible for renewal," Yousef said. "That means Hamas accepts that the other party will live in security and peace."
